Chronicles of Absolution: Virgin Eyes
by Kirabaros
Summary: 5.05 Sam has his soul back and with a wall in his mind and it looks like he doesn't remember hell at all. But Angela does. It's a test as the Winchesters and Co. travel to Oregon to investigate the disappearance of girls that appear to have one thing in common: they are virgins. In the meantime it seems that things might not be okay for Angela.
1. Chapter 1

**Chronicles of Absolution: Virgin Eyes**

 **Chapter 1**

The Road so Far…

… _"Oh really?"_

 _She looked up and saw Lucifer taunting her. He was holding Sam by the neck and she could see what he intended to do. She couldn't let that happen. "Yes," she replied firmly. She could only hope that Sam understood what she meant by it. She pulled out her blade and held it ready. "Now let him go."_

 _"And give up my favorite bunk buddy? I don't think so."_

 _"Let him go."_

 _Lucifer seemed to pause when she repeated her demand. He looked at her with a scrutinizing look like he was puzzled. He gave a slight hum but didn't relinquish his grip on Sam's neck. "You really have become much more powerful."_

 _"I'm a walking book of surprises." Angela twirled her blade, ready to use it. This may be hell but she didn't forget the rules and even if it was Lucifer's playground… She was ready to fight._

… Sam grimaced from the pain that was going through his shoulders but didn't cry out. He knew either way more torture was going to come. It was just a matter of how severe it was and that depended upon whether or not he cried out or not. At the current rate, it was pretty much fifty-fifty and it depended on what was being used to strike a nerve.

Sam knew he was in hell. He was the one that made the conscious decision to jump in while wearing Lucifer. He thought he was prepared for what was going to happen while in the cage but even with all the preparation he did mentally, it was nothing compared to what he had been facing since he got here…

… "True, but unlike you brother," Lucifer paused from rubbing his chin in a satisfied manner, "I know what makes her tick."

"And you're implying that I don't?"

Lucifer looked around at nothing before replying in a mocking tone, "Yes."

Michael glared at Lucifer and retorted, "And what makes you so sure that you do know?"

Lucifer grinned before moving from his seat. He glanced over in the direction where he had been having his fun and grinned wide. She would have felt everything and was probably wondering why she was feeling it. It was her fault after all that she had done the things that she had done before joining him in the cage… Call it a sweet irony or whatever. He was looking forward to actually telling her when she made it down there…

… Adam watched as Michael charged at Angela and she just… she just stood there. He had no idea what she was doing but he considered it suicide. He stepped out of the cabin with the intention of pulling her out of the way. He could hear his voice screeching as Michael collided with the swirling vortex that was surrounding her and a bright light ensued, stopping him in his tracks.

Adam was nearly blinded by the light and held up his arm to protect his sight as he came to a full stop. He gritted his teeth because the light was so bright. It was like when he was forced to say yes to accepting Michael into his body. It died down and he peeked out from under his arm to see what had happened. He looked around to find a girl with raven dark hair knocked out on the ground, a man with a bleeding arm unconscious but stirring and then up ahead…

… Adam nodded and looked around. At least it confirmed a few things that he had noticed. Stuff he remembered from the short time he actually knew his brothers and what he had noticed now. He wasn't sure if it was being a cad coming out and saying it but… "You love him."

"Love them both."

… "You were this grumpy even before the Winchesters came into her life." Lucifer couldn't help but rub that in. Even though he had been in the cage during that time, he had ways of hearing and learning what was going on in the world. "Grumpy at the fact that she was never the perfect little soldier."

"She learned her place."

"I highly doubt that considering she forcibly kicked you out of the second best meat suit." Lucifer gave a mocking look at his brother.

"You know it's the bloodlines."

"Yes, blah, blah." Lucifer waved his hand at Michael. "It's why she said she would host either of us."

"And you had the gall to consider."

… Angela contemplated what Adam was saying. She knew that he was right. Lucifer changed the game and she did sense that she was going to go down that road if she was going to keep the attention off of Sam and Adam. She nodded, "Agreed."

"So… what do you want to do?"

Angela shifted to look at the flames. Hawkins' body was being consumed by the fire. She knew what she had to do and sighed. "He wants a war… he'll get one."

"Right with you."

… … She wanted revenge at one point but she had a severe wake up call to get her on the path she was on now. It was why she preferred to 'run' when confronted with anyone related to Alistair and his usual cohort. She wouldn't hesitate to fight but the tight reins were kept on the beast known as revenge.

Now she was faced with a chance to live that fantasy but that would mean she would have to become what Dean only got a taste of…

… Alistair noticed the look. He grinned, "No. You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what?" Angela raised her brow.

"Fine be the animal you are," Alistair taunted.

"With pleasure," Angela replied. She had leaned close and with a fell swoop she closed her teeth between the shoulder and the neck. Her fangs pierced the skin and she felt the sanguine taste of blood hit her tongue…

… Angela looked at Morpheus like he was being a pervert for being so forward but indulged. She peered at her shoulder in the mirror. At first she didn't see anything because it was so faint but when she looked closer, she recognized the familiar lines of scarring. It looked like the cicatrization marks she had seen mostly from African tribes. The design though was not like that. Rather it was a bit similar to her tattoo but there was a blend of Enochian and Egyptian as well and she recognized the mark that was unmistakably what would have been Sam's cartouche. "What…?"

"Courtesy of Sam Winchester, my dear," Morpheus answered as he watched the understanding start to develop. "He bit you and more than likely exchanged blood with you thus created that mark. He made you his and I have no doubt you did the same."

Angela blinked as she stared at the marking. There was no way. That meant. "No. I would never do that. Not to him."

"It appears that you did," Morpheus pointed out. He didn't want to be too forceful with her but desperate times and he was prepared to give her a hard shake like he would a naughty pup. "You made him your own and he did the same to you. So in simpler terms… you are for all intents and purposes married."

… She turned her attention to the devil and growled, "Lucifer."

Lucifer grinned at her, "Now, now. You've had your fun." He looked at everyone. "You've have your protection in what you created. Now it's time to get to business." He chuckled as he looked at them. "This is going to be fun."

Angela grunted as she was suspended. She tried to struggle but she couldn't get free. She looked at Sam and Adam. She had long known that she was walking into a bigger game but she clung to the belief that she could do better. Now she was caught. Sam was caught. And now they were going to get into something that would prove to be the true test of withstanding hell. She glanced at Sam and stretched her hand towards him.

 _Remember. Always and forever…_

… "We'll see."

Michael was ready to go to fight but was held back by Lucifer, "No, Michael. I've got something better. Follow me." He turned and left the room while plunging it into darkness.

 _He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight._

… Haley knew that the past year had its ups and downs. It was why she and Dean stayed in the house they procured and tried to live their lives… On the few jobs she had been on with Sam and Dean, it left her with the impression that the soulless version of Sam was one of the scariest of things she had encountered. She had seen him when it came to fighting the monsters but that was nothing compared to what she had seen when Sam perceived something that… She swallowed as she remembered when she saw Sam look like he was going to kill someone because he thought they were….

The first time she saw that was when someone made a cat call after snatching a picture from Sam. She had caught him staring at a picture…

… "A part of me does." Sam glanced at the picture. "When I see her… I have memories of everything we've done." He gave a humorless chuckle, "And we actually did the old cliché of the last night on earth." He sobered and his expression became tense and blank and not faking a response to what should be an emotional moment. "I have these memories and for the most part I don't feel anything but when I look at her…"

… . She had to ask, "Can you describe it more? Feel free to be down and dirty."

"She is mine. My… I don't know… mate or something."

… "It's about the souls," Death offered as his only hint. "You'll understand when you need to. As will she."

… "I'm going to put up a barrier in your mind. It may feel itchy. Don't scratch the wall," Death warned Sam before plunging his soul back in.

At that moment, the ground rumbled underneath Dean's feet. He knew he wasn't imagining things when Bobby and Haley looked at him wide eyed and wondering what the hell was going on. He looked at Death who merely said, "Remind Sam of his promise to her."

"What promise?"

Death was gone before Dean got his answer. Now all he had was an unconscious brother and something that resembled an earthquake. What the hell had he done?

… Angela had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that she was getting a surge of power and that it would strike enough damage to keep them off their backs for the time being. She was going to take it. She dug her foot in to give her the ability to sprint forward. She darted forward and maneuvered her blade to give a downward strike as it glowed a white hot glow. She brought it down in a single swipe creating a blinding white light… Angela blinked and turned towards the voice. She recognized who it was and lowered her blade. She turned to see that it appeared that time stood still. She saw her blow striking Lucifer and Michael but they were suspended. She turned and saw Sam disappearing as a white light and her companion… "Hello, Death."

… "Now, you must go. Someone needs to keep an eye on those two. Find the other half."

Angela found herself bathed in white light and then darkness. It was the sound of birds calling that woke her up. She smelled the air and her eyes shot wide open as she took a gasping breath. Her eyes were wide open as she looked around.

"Welcome back, Absolution."

 _Now_

"Welcome back Absolution."

The reaction was instant. Angela didn't stop to take a good look but relied on her survival instincts. She made a swiping motion and sent the owner of the voice skidding back a few feet. It allowed Angela to get to hers but she was in a crouched position and holding onto Absolution like it was a lifeline. She held out her other hand like it was going to defend her but it was a warning as well.

"Told me to expect that," the newcomer said as she dusted herself off. "And after what Dean did, this was a welcome break."

Angela blinked. The woman said his name. It made her suspicious and hopeful at the same time. She didn't say anything though as she stared at the woman that was there. She didn't even stand up. She was highly suspicious of everything.

The woman looked at Angela, not understanding why she wasn't relaxing. She ventured, "Angie, you do remember, don't you?"

Angela narrowed her eyes at the woman. She kept her guard up as she slowly stood up. Once she was fully upright, she lowered her blade slightly and took a step backwards and looked around. She recognized where she was. She looked around until her eyes lighted on an empty patch of ground. It was then that it hit and her eyes widened.

 _She watched as Sam fell in, pulling Michael in with him. They plummeted into the dark cavern that was the entrance to the cage. It was still open. She could feel the power as it swirled around, whipping her hair around._

 _I want you to do something for yourself, Angie._

 _It was what she wanted for herself. She walked towards the hole, focusing to keep it open a bit longer. It was then she heard her name. She turned to see Dean, face bloodied and broken. He was hurt but he was alive and he would be fine. That was what encouraged her to smile at him, her big brother, before spreading her arms and leaping in._

Angela gasped and blinked as she remembered staring at that patch of ground. She looked around. This was definitely the place. Stull Cemetery. But what was she doing here? She turned to look at the woman who was still there and gave a slight raising of her brow before moving quickly to get close and peered at the woman.

"You should remember. I am Tessa," Tessa said as she took in Angela staring at her.

Angela narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer. Her nose twitched slightly as she took in a couple of sniffs. She stepped back once she made up her mind. She sheathed her sword and held it in her hand. There was no threat here. But the question was where is here?

She knew where she was. She was in Kansas but what she meant was whether or not she was in hell or topside. She had no reason to trust everything. She had been made to think things were real. So she wasn't going to go with face value. She would need to test things to make sure but… Something caught her attention and she turned towards it. Something was calling to her but it was nothing that could be heard by the human ear, but it was there… calling to her. She could feel it on the left side of her neck.

Angela flared her nostrils like she was going to sniff it. She could feel it and it was familiar. That was true. She had to go. Taking a look at Tessa, she blinked and took a couple of steps backwards. She then started running towards the gates of the cemetery. She would follow that… whatever it was. Her neck throbbed but not in the bad way. It was good one and she put a hand to the left side of her neck and cupped it. Her lip twitched slightly in a smile as she continued to run in the direction she had chosen.

Tessa watched with a bland expression as Angela said nothing but studied her surroundings. It was nerve wracking when she came really close and sniffed her. Nothing happened even though initially Angela had used her abilities and lashed out to defend herself. Tessa should have expected it but she didn't and it pushed her back. It was impressive.

Honestly, Tessa didn't know what she expected when Death sent her here to watch for Absolution. She had been told that disorientation was to be expected but Tessa didn't take it seriously. She assumed that Angela would have the sense to realize where she was. True she knew that hell was not pleasant but she expected something else. This was almost instinctual and it concerned her that Angela didn't speak at all.

She watched as Angela seemed to be distracted by something that was unseen. Angela then left without a word. Tessa tried to stop her but it was clear that Angela wasn't listening. Sighing, the reaper thought about what to do next. It wasn't like she could stop Angela and if she did, she would end up with a few fists in her face or worse. Now she was faced with trying to figure out how to explain this to her boss. She shook her head.

In the meantime, Angela was running down the street. She had to follow it. It was calling to her and she had to listen. She ran, not caring that she looked a little weird in her outfit and covered in dirt and there were abrasions all over her body. She looked like she had been tramping through a forest for a year. That didn't matter. She had to get where she was being called to.

She couldn't explain it but it was something that she had always been aware of but it was more like a whisper that came and went. It had gotten stronger when she started working in closer proximity of the Winchesters but was still a whisper. It only spoke loudly when she really needed it. Now… it was like a blaring sign and it wouldn't leave her alone. It felt like she was compelled to obey it and it was exacerbated by the throbbing in her neck.

Pressing a hand to her neck, she felt a warmth rise and fill the palm of her hand. It was not blistering but gentle. Gentle and persistent. The thought had her smile because there was only one person that was associated with that feeling. Thinking about him only made the call stronger and it spurred her on to keep moving.

 _You claimed him as he claimed you. For all intents and purposes you are…_

Angela made a soft sound and put an extra spurt into her legs. She had to keep going. She had to follow. She had to find him. She had to make sure that he was fine. When that was done, then she would figure out where she was at and if she needed to fight to get them free. As she had said before, enough was enough. She would not be made to suffer the whims of anyone who used people that mattered to her to motivate her.

 _I am sorry, Cerebus. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you._

Angela kept on running. She was focused on her goal but she wasn't letting her guard down. There were plenty of things out there that could take advantage and until she knew for sure where she was at, she wasn't going to take things at face value. She swerved slightly to avoid running into a sign but she didn't deviate from her present course. She kept running, unheeding of the fact that she was in full view of people who happened to notice.

Dorothy Hammond was one such person. She was busy wiping tables at the diner she had worked at for over forty years. She worried over the earthquake that happened that morning. It was strange since in that part of the country you didn't get earthquakes. Tornados maybe but an earthquake? Wiping tables allowed her to mull over it thought she probably shouldn't worry. It was more likely a one-time thing.

"Hey Dorothy, where are the extra salt shakers?"

"In the back in the pantry," she replied, referring to the set of shelves that held the dried goods and the spices. "Try near the seasonings for the chili."

"Thanks!"

Dorothy smiled as she heard her cook and husband of thirty years shuffle in the back, following her instructions. They had owned and operated this diner since they first met. They were high school sweethearts when they met and they worked at the same diner, the current one that they owned. Their boss previously owned it and they bought and continued the business. It was like a major staple in town. Everybody came there at some point and some every day to eat. Tourists and people just passing through stopped there and always had something to say about the food. Just a little slice of ordinary.

Today though wasn't so ordinary. First the earthquake this morning when she unlocked the doors which had her looking around when she felt the rumble under her feet. Her husband Don wondered what the hell was going on in the verbal sense since he was thrown off balance and he was toting a tray of food that he had prepped for the special for the day. It had their neighbors and customers come out wondering what was going on as well. Afterwards, since no one figured it out, business when about as usual and she and Don went to work.

The day went on like it was nothing and she was wiping down to prepare for the lunch rush. It seemed like the day was going on as usual when she heard Don say, "What the hell?"

Dorothy shook her head since Don was prone to swearing. She straightened up to see her husband looking out the window. She frowned and turned to see what he was looking at. She blinked when she saw a woman running. It wasn't the fact that she was running, it was what she was wearing that held her attention.

She had seen joggers before and they all wore the same thing. If it was someone chasing after someone, they wore something different like the local police. This woman though was not either of those. She was wearing something that looked like it would be better suited for a formal party of sorts or one of those comic book things the kids like to go to. The woman just didn't seem to fit and she didn't seem to care that she had an audience like her neighbors and customers coming in for lunch. She rolled her eyes when some of the older men were ogling.

There was a sudden blaring of a horn and Dorothy looked up again. Her eyes got wide when she saw a car that was heading towards the woman who was now in the middle of the street. Dorothy thought the girl was crazy for that and she was running headlong into the car that was heading towards her. She reached for her phone to call for emergency services when the woman took a running leap and jumped onto the moving vehicle. With moment, she kept running up the front windshield and onto the roof of the car and onto the trunk where she leapt off and kept running down the street, ignoring the gasps and the comments.

Dorothy moved to one of the other windows to follow the woman as she ran down the street. He noticed other people running to catch a glimpse and follow. _That_ was something that you didn't see every day and she had a feeling that was all anyone was going to be talking about all day. She knew that she wasn't going to forget it. It was one strange day indeed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Death did what he said and Angela is out of hell but not in a very familiar setting. But she has a mission and she is going to complete it. Stay tuned for next time on Virgin Eyes...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Coffee?"

Dean looked at the cup that was being held out to him and the owner of the hand. "Thanks," he replied as he accepted the cup. He looked up and gave a smile. "Thanks Hale."

Haley smiled at Dean and leaned in to kiss his temple while holding away her coffee cup. She straightened out and massaged his head. She knew that the last couple of days had been rough and he was concerned. Hell she was concerned herself but she figured someone needed to be a strong one here.

Dean put a hand on the one that was massaging his scalp. He now understood why Sam enjoyed it when Angela did it to him. It was soothing and it relieved the tension just enough for a short time. It was short but needed and it worked. He knew why she was doing it. "You've been too good to me, Hale. More than I deserved."

"You asked me," Haley reminded Dean as she continued to massage his head even though his hand was on top of hers. "You wanted to continue to chase me."

"Hey I kept it."

"You sure did." Haley leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "And you are not getting out of it." She blew slightly in his ear and chuckled.

Dean felt the goosebumps along the back of his neck when she blew into his ear. It caused a rumble in his throat and it reminded him why he hooked up with Haley. Before now they had been on and off and steady, if you want to call it like that. Now… it was different and he liked it. They spent a year together and were still together even when Sam came back. She stayed even when he… "You really are too good for me."

Haley straightened up and moved her hand to his shoulder. She gave a gentle massage to it. "Sam's still asleep?" She asked even though she knew the answer to that question. She had witnessed Death plunging Sam's soul back into his chest. She watched as Sam cried out in pain but what bothered her was the rumble she felt under her feet when it happened. She didn't mention it but she was certain that Dean and Bobby felt it too and weren't sure of what to make of it.

"Yeah," Dean replied, "I'm thinking of calling Cas to check on him."

"That would help," Haley replied with a slight nod. She looked away to look at nothing.

"I felt it too," Dean said as he stared at nothing.

Haley shifted to look at him. Her hand hadn't moved and it wasn't like he was resisting. "Felt what?"

"Don't tease, Hale," Dean countered as he stood up. He shifted to look at her straight on. "I know you felt it. The rumble like an earthquake." He took a couple of steps forward. "And the fact is that up here… that's not normal."

"Look, I didn't want to say anything because of the whole thing with Sam," Haley pointed out. "I get that Death said he would get her but when she didn't show up… I didn't want to put one more thing on."

"I know," Dean replied softly. He was well aware that his approach looked like he was going to corner her. He did it all the time when they played around but… "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. You're worried about both of them and what kind of game, Death is playing here." Haley looked at Dean with a reassuring look. "I mean… you'd think…"

"Yeah but nothing gets their rocks off by presenting a challenge to her," Dean muttered annoyed at that fact. "And after everything she does…" He was on the path to getting angry but it was tempered when he felt Haley's arms wrap around his waist from behind. He felt her head rest between his shoulder blades.

"I agree with you there," Haley replied softly, "But it could be something simple like she had to exit some place or maybe she is with one of the numerous beings she knows." She paused a bit and continued, "She told me about Gabriel rescuing her from hell and taking her to Karnak to recover. She was at that place for over a year but when she came back here, it was like no time had passed. It was like they made her better and put her back from the moment she disappeared."

"And how is it gonna look now?" Dean mused on that. "I mean I didn't hear Death say that he would put up a wall for her. That means…"

"She's going to remember every single thing," Haley finished. She held onto Dean mostly to soothe him but also a bit of security for her. They both knew what it was like to remember hell. She breathed softly, "That's…"

"Gonna suck."

"I agree but you should give the princess more credit than that," a new voice entered.

Dean resisted the urge to jump and he couldn't when Haley was laughing into his back. When she released him he turned to look at the newcomer and retorted, "Dammit, Kess. Could you not sneak up on me like that? What am I complaining about you got the personal space thing better than Cas." Dean gestured at the Avian.

Kesset shot Dean a bemused expression mingled with a little confusion. "I don't sneak and I don't get the personal space issue as you make it out to be." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked like he was going to pout.

Haley couldn't resist laughing. She had gotten to know the Avian the past year and a half and he was funny. At least when he was trying to understand human concepts. "Please, it's too early in the day and I haven't finished my coffee." She picked up her cup to make a point.

Kesset stared at Haley, letting his Avian eyes flicker before they returned to a more human appearance. He shifted to look at Dean and replied, "I didn't come here to provide entertainment."

"Then why are you here?" Dean had to ask.

After Sam jumped in, Dean got a surprise visit from the Avian. He was surprised and yet relieved that the kid wasn't getting upset because his charge or whatever was in trouble. It had him curious and suspicious of the whole thing and he demanded answers, which Kesset had none. At least none that sufficiently explained why he wasn't pounding pavement and demanding the location. Then Sam came back and it sort of answered it a little.

Kesset shifted on his feet and shuffled his wings. He had grown into the habit of letting people who knew him see them and it was a lot more comfortable than trying to hide them. "I sensed the princess."

Dean's eyes went wide and he motioned, "Well… go get her. Do your thing. Bring her here."

"I can't."

"You what?"

"I can't."

Dean looked at Haley. He felt like he had been dealt a crappy hand. He could get mad and let the snark out but he wasn't about to risk getting into a fight with an Avian. He had heard the stories and he wasn't anxious to be first in line to witness it firsthand. He managed to temper his tone a little and ask, "What do you mean by that? I thought you had a supernatural tracker on her or something."

Kesset looked at Dean with an impassive gaze that was full of sympathy as he replied, "I do have that as her guardian. But something has changed."

Haley raised her brow at that. That had her interest along with the mini research project she had started while Dean was doing his bet with Death. She asked, "What do you mean, Kess?"

The Avian looked at her. He liked the juju witch and when he found out her heritage he started addressing her with proper rank. It had Dean laugh and tease her and her trying to tell him to change it up. He didn't. "What I mean, princess, is that what happened when all was right with Sam… I sensed her but she was gone. I can't sense her."

Haley rolled her eyes slightly at Kesset's title for her. She wished she hadn't revealed that to him. Now she couldn't get him to stop. Dean couldn't help but smirk at that but it was a serious matter though. "What do you mean? Like is she…" His voice trailed off, not sure he wanted to hear what the Avian had to say.

"She's not dead," Kesset stated bluntly. He crossed his arms over his chest again and stared at Dean. "That's an entirely different feeling so I'm told and what I have observed." He cleared his throat to continue, "This is… different. I know she's not dead but I can't see her. I spoke to the celestial and he is having trouble too."

"Sounds bad," Dean commented. He didn't know what to think. Did that mean that if his brother's girlfriend was in trouble Kesset or Castiel wouldn't be able to help?

"Castiel said that it is possible she… turned it off."

That made sense since she had done it before. But still… Dean asked, "Why would she do that?"

Haley had been thinking about it for some time. What she had sounded ridiculous; a theory at most. And yet, it seemed the most plausible. She offered, "Maybe she doesn't think that she is back. Or she just… I don't know."

"Makes sense about not being sure," Dean allowed though he suspected more.

Kesset eyed Haley and nodded, "I will concede that. But I do know that pulse we felt was her and it was powerful." He looked away not sure how to describe it. "Not like before."

"Maybe she learned a few tricks," Dean offered more to lighten the mood since other options sounded scary.

"It's possible but I am concerned. It reminds me of hunting behavior," Kesset said. He shifted to look at Dean and added, "And I don't mean like what you and the princess do."

Dean was quiet for a moment. He had his brother unconscious and his sister of sorts out there quite possibly confused at everything and if he knew Death, that guy wouldn't help her at all. She would resort to the one thing that was natural. He knew what needed to be done. "Well… we need to find her."

"I agree, Dean, but as I said, I can't sense her. Like she doesn't want to be found," Kesset replied, glad that someone was thinking along his lines.

"Maybe not how you can but… what about more conventional means?" Haley looked at the pair and when they stared at her, she beckoned them to follow.

She led them to where she kept a table with a map spread out. She went to a box and began looking through it for what she needed while explaining, "Now I know there are means like setting the map on fire and there you go. If she is moving that won't help. So…" She pulled out the scrying crystal she was certain would work. "This might be better."

Dean gestured, "Have a go then, Hale."

Haley gave a slight smile and moved towards the map. She dangled the crystal holding it steady and began chanting the spell. She focused on her target and put emphasis into the spell. The still crystal started to move towards Kansas but it didn't stay. Rather it was moving like it was drawing a line and it was moving slowly.

"Well I'll be damned," Dean commented. He looked at the Avian, "You got the general idea, Kess?"

"I do but she is moving."

"You know how to use Bluetooth?" Haley looked at the Avian and was surprised when he nodded yes. She nodded, "Good. Then keep it on and if it changes direction, I'll let you know."

Kesset nodded as he pulled out the device that was called the Bluetooth and put it in his ear and adjusted. He looked at Dean and said, "I will find the princess." He was then gone with a gentle fluttering of his wings.

Dean blinked, "Well at least he's better than Cas. And polite no matter what."

"I'll say," Haley replied looking at the map. The crystal was still moving. It had her amazed and she had an idea which direction it was going. "At least we have one thing down. Right?" She looked at Dean.

Dean looked at Haley as she held the crystal. No doubt she would man it all day and all night just in case Kesset lost Angela. She was one in a million. "Yeah." He turned to look in the direction where Sam was hibernating.

* * *

The crossroads had Angela pause. She knew which way to go but she was wary. This was after all the place where deals were made. And deals were made by demons. She sniffed the air and detected the scent of demon. A few moments told her that it was long gone and the poor sap who made a deal was doomed. That was the way of things.

Snorting, Angela turned in the direction that she was heading in and continued walking. She had long stopped running to conserve her energy and after what she did earlier… She didn't want to scare people nor attract unwanted attention or other hunters. She had to play it smart if she was to get back to him. She had to follow and it would lead to him.

She knew now that the tick and the good throb of her neck meant Sam. That meant he was alive. The bad news was that she didn't know his condition and she was disinclined to talk to the reaper Tessa when she saw her. So she was a bit anxious to find out since this was turning into a manhunt like when she first arrived in hell. It occurred to her that she may not have left hell at all but this was an illusion and now it was crashing down with the realization that she was repeating what she had done earlier. It was enough to think herself into an endless loop. Shaking her head, she continued walking. She had one goal in mind and she was going to achieve it one way or another.

She had been walking for a few hours after her initial run when she heard a sound. She cocked her heard to listen and picked up the sound of a truck coming up from behind. It wasn't a semi but a pickup. Immediately her senses went on alert as she heard it slow down to come even with her. She kept walking, ignoring the driver, with her focus on her goal. That was the important thing and nothing would deter her from it.

"Hey. You need a ride?"

Angela paused and turned to look at the driver. She studied the driver noting that it was a young male, probably mid-twenties, had a nice mop of dirt blonde hair and he looked nice enough. She raised her brow at the boy and stared at him. She couldn't tell if it was genuine or if he was a pervert. Either way she was wary.

"You okay?"

Angela stared at the boy. She then turned and started walking again. She wasn't going to waste time nor risk her safety. She was not in the mood. She had to get to the thing that matter the most. She had to get to Sam.

"Hey. Are you in trouble?"

Angela paused when the boy called to her again and turned to look at him. She stared at him and tensed when he got out of the truck. She didn't want to fight the guy but she would if he tried anything. She shifted slightly so she could slip into a battle stance if necessary when he came to a halt in front of her.

"Are you hurt?"

Angela frowned at that until the boy gestured at her hands. She glanced down and noticed the dried blood. She also saw the scratches and bruises. It was then that she remembered how she got them. She remembered fighting, putting everything into her punches, using her arms for defense. She winced when she recalled the sound of breaking bone and the sharp pain in her hand, her fingers especially. She looked up and saw the one who broke her hand. She took a step back and reached for her chakram, ready to use it.

"Whoa. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

Angela blinked and saw the boy holding up his hands to indicate he wasn't going to hurt her. She backed up, not sure what to do. She was seeing two things and it was… She took another step back.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I can take you where you need to go," the boy said looking at her with concern.

Angela looked at the boy. She could tell he meant no harm by the way he held himself. She turned and looked in the direction she was heading. She should go. No need to bring problems onto anyone else. She started taking a step in the direction she was heading.

"I can take you as far as you need to go. Come on."

Angela turned to see the boy beckoning her. Her nose twitched to take in his scent. She wasn't sensing anything that was remotely deceptive. Weighing her options she chose to turn towards the boy and took a step forward. She didn't say anything though but let him lead her to his truck and got in. She stared straight ahead as he got in and started the engine.

"You know where you're going?"

Angela said nothing but stared ahead. She was focused on what she needed to follow. For now they were going in the right direction. That was all that mattered.

The boy said nothing about her nonresponsiveness and instead started driving. After a time he started talking more to keep the silence from being awkward. "I'm Shep by the way. I'm just heading up north to visit some relatives."

Angela listened to the chatter but kept her attention on the direction they were going in. She didn't mean to be rude but she wasn't sure about everything even though the kids wasn't showing signs of deception or anything that would warrant an attack. She just wanted minimal contact as possible. She did give a silent acknowledgment she heard him and to indicate that she was grateful for a ride.

Shep saw the nod and was okay with that. He was curious about her since she was dirty and she looked like she had been lost out in the middle of nowhere. He noticed the abrasions on her hands and what he could see on her body. He wondered if someone had hurt her but she seemed ready to jump and throw a punch if needed. Knowing that she wasn't going to respond, he started chatting about nothing and everything but mostly about his trip.

The conversation was one sided for at least three hours. It was dark by the time that Shep said that he was hungry. Angela glanced at him and then out the window and noted the position of the moon. It was indeed night. That wouldn't matter. She could travel at night. All that mattered was getting back to Sam.

"Look… I'm hungry so I'm gonna stop. You hungry?"

Angela heard the question and looked at Shep. She blinked. She couldn't remember the last time she actually ate. It sounded like a long time ago. Not even when she was on her mission did she recall eating. She looked down and frowned at the question. Was she hungry?

Shep glanced at her and watched her movements. He figured she was since she had been sitting in the truck for hours. She didn't say or do anything that indicated she was but they had been riding for hours and she hadn't even so much as professed a need for water though she did accept the bottle he got for her when he pulled over to gas up. She didn't get out but remained in the truck and stared straight ahead in the same direction. In any case, he was hungry and needed food if he was going to keep going.

He pulled over at a roadside diner. It was off to the side and meant to be there to get in, eat and then get on the road again. He parked the truck and killed the engine and offered again, "I'm getting something, You wanna come in? My treat."

There was silence and Shep thought he was going to have to request something to go if she decided to stay put when he heard the click and creak of the door opening. He watched as she got out with graceful and fluid movements. He didn't have to say anything as she made sure that her sword and weird circle thing was tucked away. He knew she wasn't a weird one in the sense that she was confused since she seemed to know what to do; he figured she wasn't sure how to respond and that there was something else on her mind or that she had been through something traumatic and was trying to make sense of the fact that she was okay.

They entered the diner side by side and Shep was going to take a seat when his wrist was grabbed by her. He paused and looked at Angela, not sure of what she was doing. One look at her posture told him that there was something going on that spelled danger. It was in her body language and he would have been an idiot to not to listen.

Angela sensed danger the moment they walked in. It wasn't that she could see it. She could smell it and it was very distinctive. It was why she grabbed Shep to keep him from advancing. She looked at the lone customer sitting at the counter with the waitress behind the counter. They were looking at them. She stared long and hard at them as they both gave a slow grin. It was then that she spoke, "Go back to the truck."

Shep wasn't sure he heard right and hesitated. All this time and she hadn't spoken until now? He looked at Angela and said, "What?"

"Get back to the truck," Angela repeated. She looked at Shep. "Go. Now."

Shep didn't want to leave her there but something told him that it was better to listen to her and do it rather than not listening. He turned and walked out of the diner and headed to the truck. He got in but didn't leave. He didn't want to leave her behind and he thought it was crazy that she was going into danger alone. He did the logical thing. He called the cops.

Angela waited until Shep had left before speaking. She spoke in Latin, "Christo."

The eyes were all that were needed to confirm what she was smelling. They were demons. She had jumped out of the fire and into the frying pain as the expression went. Or she went from one hell to another. Either way, she had a fight on her hands.

"We heard the rumors of a disturbance like what happened three years ago. And low and behold… it is you." The customer stood up and walked towards Angela, his black eyes showing. He was flanked by the waitress and the cook who came out of the kitchen and what looked like to be a seating hostess. "I think the boss is gonna be… pleased."

Angela stared at the demons. She didn't have her weapon but she did have other means of fighting. "Is this the best you've got?" She chuckled at the advancing group and scoffed at them.

"Nothing will give me pleasure except to rip…"

The leader was caught in a hold and his essence was coming out of his meat suit. The black smoke was leaking out until it came out like a blob mass of black smoke. It floated in the air, unable to move. The other demons watched and turned to look at Angela. She had her hand out and her expression was not warm but determined. It was determined to kill and it looked haunted as the ball of smoke burst into flame. She looked at the others, "Anyone else?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Angie is making her way back to Sioux Falls and Haley is trying to pinpoint her. Stay tuned for next time on Virgin Eyes...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Hmm…"

Bobby paused in what he was doing and went to the source. Ever since Haley revealed that Angela was alive and well and tracking her, she had been camped out by the map. It made sense since it seemed like every time Kesset came within a few feet of where she was last seen, she was long gone. He had heard the reports and was surprised that the kid learned how to use Bluetooth when they had an angel that didn't grasp the concept of voicemail.

He walked in and found Haley frowning at the map. She wasn't scrying at the moment but looking at the markers of sightings. "You get anything?"

Haley looked up at the grizzled hunter, "Oh I'm getting readings. Just…" She shrugged since it was the same. Kesset missed her again.

"Thought the kid was faster than that."

"Avians are," Haley offered. When Bobby gave her a look she replied with a slight grin, "I read too, old man. When it was just me and Dean, I was the one that fielded hunts to him. Well the slightly strange that were too strange to ignore."

"Did you two even try…?"

"We lived fairly normal," Haley answered, knowing what the question was about. "I never brought up my juju craft except to tell him what I was doing and why. It's a part of me and…"

"Hey you don't need to explain it to me," Bobby replied with raised hands. "It just seems…"

"I know but… we made it work. I did have another job."

"A job? You?"

"Yep."

Bobby scrunched up his face, "Doing what?"

"I ran a bookstore."

The response was completely left field and had Angela been there, she would have been laughing. Bobby considered it as well. "A bookstore?"

"Small one. Had just about everything and I ran occult books for a few interested parties for fees or favors." Haley gave an innocent smile. It was funny now that she stopped and thought about it. She still had the bookstore and it was run by a girl she had hired to help. It was a source of income and it put her in touch with suppliers in all things related to the supernatural. It was one of the few things that she didn't tell Dean but he was well aware of the bookstore and teased her for it while he found work at a local garage as a mechanic.

Bobby shook his head. It was amusing and he had to admit that Sam and Dean knew how pick them in terms of the fairer sex. He knew they did alright. It was just when Sam came back that… He cleared his throat as he thought about what had happened over the last few days. He took a couple of breaths.

Haley knew where this was going. "That is over, Bobby."

"I know but… it's still Sam."

Haley gave a slightly sad smile. Dean held onto the belief that soulless Sam was not the real Sam. Now that he had his soul back, it would go back to being right. She wasn't going to destroy that bubble though she was certain he was aware that soulless Sam was Sam, just without that moral compass he was known for. She didn't blame him and she didn't blame Bobby either. She gave a slight nod, "An issue to talk about later. Right now…" She gestured at the map.

Bobby peered at the map, grateful for the change in topic. "You marked where Angie was seen."

"Actually where there have been disturbances that couldn't be easily explained," Haley admitted. "Kess has checked them out and found out that a woman matching Angie's description has been at these locations. Like here." She pointed at a spot. "Witnesses said that she was running in the middle of the highway, took a running leap and was running on top of a moving car and leapt down and kept on going."

"What?"

"And here," Haley pointed at another spot, "A witness said that he was released from something holding his body captive. He was found in a diner and one other person was found dead. Kess confirmed the presence of sulfur."

"Demons." Bobby looked at the map.

"And it goes on," Haley replied, "But all in one direction."

Bobby watched as she traced the line of incidents towards… "Sioux Falls."

Haley nodded, "She's heading home." She looked at Bobby and added, "I think Kess figured that out and left her alone. Maybe it's a guardian thing but he knows enough of when to interfere and when not to. I think he is following but at a safe distance to make sure that she isn't hurt."

"Gotta give the kid a lot more credit than I have been," Bobby admitted. He looked at the map and saw how almost neat the trail was. He noticed that the starting point was in Kansas near Stull Cemetery and the path that it took. "She must have followed through on the last thing that she remembered."

Haley wasn't so sure. As far as Dean had reported when he first conceived of his plan to make a deal with Death, he never mentioned that Angela would be okay. She figured that he assumed that since Dean mentioned that Death had a peculiar interest in Angela and seemed to like her even though he was annoyed with her. It was weird to hear but it seemed to make some sense. And it wasn't like there weren't other beings out there that would do the same thing. Yet, she had a lingering doubt that if Angela did make it home, there were going to be issues that would make a normal case of PTSD look like a picnic. It was her private thoughts and she let Dean and Bobby have their moments.

At that moment, the phone rang. Haley checked and saw that it was from Kesset and turned it on, making sure that it was on speaker, "Hey Kess. You're on speaker."

 _Who is there?_

"Just me," Haley replied, "And Bobby."

 _Good._

That sound of relief had both Bobby and Haley suspicious. It was Bobby though that asked, "And why the hell is that good?"

The silence that followed was not reassuring. Haley figured that either Kesset was in the middle of something or he was thinking about how to word his response. That meant that something was up and it probably wasn't good or it was something that wasn't really bad but enough to cause concern. Bobby, not being patient, said, "Well spit it out boy."

 _I don't spit._

"Boy, don't be playing stupid."

Haley shook her head and patted the grizzled hunter on the shoulder. She said, "Just tell us what you found, Kess."

 _I'm at a diner. Three dead. All human._

That sounded like trouble. Bobby asked, "Was it her?"

 _I spoke to the detective. He said that it matched the description of someone who assaulted the cook in the diner but in that case, the cook was trouble and saved the customer and waitress. This was unusual and yet…_

That didn't sound good but neither Bobby nor Haley were willing to believe the worst. They wanted to know the whole story since there had to be something more to it. Since Bobby wasn't in the best of moods, Haley continued the conversation, "Please tell me that it wasn't…"

 _They weren't civilians._

Both breathed a sigh of relief. It still wasn't a good thing that there were humans dead and the fact that Angela had been so careless… It sounded like a lecture would be in the near future.

 _They were a group of miscreants who commit gang rapes._

That answered it right then and there. Haley felt relief and could understand it but still… "Anything else?"

 _The detective doesn't have a good description. No one does. He did say that he was glad the scum were off the streets. Their victims were raped and killed in gruesome ways. To me it seems the princess meted out justice._

"So you know it's her?"

There was some silence on the other end. It told Haley and Bobby what they needed to know. Kesset knew more than what was going on. They waited for the Avian to admit it.

 _I admit that I… have not made contact with her. I would catch up but… I didn't see a problem. She handled it well. No one is following her but me. But… I lost her._

"Well if she figured out someone was following her… idjit," Bobby muttered more out of relief.

 _It makes sense. She is a warrior, trained by the Lord and Lady of the Nile and other entities that understand the way. The problem is… I still can't sense her._

Haley looked at the map and replied, "It's okay Kess. I think we know where she is going. She is coming home."

 _I will try to track and follow. Just to make sure._

Haley wasn't going to dissuade the Avian. He needed a sense of direction in terms of what to do like protecting or fighting. Sam wasn't in a position to be doing that and he humored Dean at most. At least he hadn't gone on a rampage like she had heard about when Angela had been kidnapped. She replied, "Do that Kess. Try to keep anything serious from coming after her."

 _Since it is requested by a princess, I will follow._

"Please don't call me that."

 _I apologize but respect must be given._

Haley sighed as Kesset said he would be in touch and hung up. She was never going to get him to stop that habit. Not if it was ingrained in him and part of what he followed. She could just accept it like Angela did but it made her feel uncomfortable. It was bad enough she got attention because she was a juju princess on her father's side but she had Celtic origins as well and the world never responded well to people that were of two peoples.

"Just let him do it," Bobby said waving a hand. "He's not gonna stop and it's probably one of his better qualities."

"I know," Haley replied as she put away the phone and stared at the map. "I find it hard to believe that Kess lost her but she didn't get to where she is today without learning a few tricks."

"You got that right," Bobby said as he went to get a glass and some whiskey. "So any idea when Angie will get here."

Haley looked at the map when a large crash was heard outside. It was followed by barking that seemed to be a cross of happy barking and growling. Bobby had his house warded against most things considering that Angela was fiercely protective of the grizzled hunter and she stayed with him for some time. So to hear a crash meant that someone who wasn't the usual was there. She looked at Bobby and asked, "How about now?"

Bobby looked around, "Where's Dean?"

Haley went wide eyed. They both looked at each other before grabbing a weapon of sorts. They headed out through the back to the source of the noise.

* * *

Dean needed some time to think about things and to not project his worry onto Haley or Bobby. His worry was that Sam was still asleep and Kesset had been unable to catch up with Angela. He was worried since he was certain that his girl was disoriented or out there without sufficient means to get home and it didn't help that the reports Kesset sent back were hardly encouraging and enough to draw unwanted attention.

One thing he did know for certain was that Angela was heading home. He had stolen a look at the map Haley was working on when she was taking a break and looked at the all the spots that marked an incident that looked like Angela could have done it. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was heading in one direction. She was heading home.

Dean knew that she would have one thing on her mind and that was to get to Sam and make sure he was safe. Sure she would have him in mind but after the year and a half in hell… He got it. He just wanted her there. He wanted all of his family there. He held onto the belief that once she was there, Sam would wake up. It was weird but considering how things seemed to happen with them he wasn't going to discount it.

He was also worried at how she was going to be. She had been in there a year and a half with Sam's soul. No doubt she went through the same thing as Sam did and maybe worse. Lucifer seemed to have a beef with her and Michael was pissed because she wasn't going to be the obedient little soldier that she was predicted to be. They would take it out on her and not be inclined to show mercy. He was scared of what came out of hell and cursed the fact that Death couldn't just bring her to the house.

He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth since Death did get Sam's soul out and put up a wall so he wouldn't remember hell. Still the guy could have at least made it easier for her and just put her in a place that was familiar. But he didn't and judging from the map, she came back in the same place that she went in. He would have jumped in the Impala and gone there but it would have been pointless since she was long gone and if he tried to follow what Haley marked he would be two steps behind. So he was doing the thing that he was not known for and was being patient and waiting for her to come to them. It was the thing to make him antsy and want to do something but he had Sam there and he was still unconscious and someone familiar needed to be there.

A little whimper caught his attention and Dean shifted to look at Zeppelin. He saw the dog looking a little depressed. He reached down and rubbed his ears, "Sorry boy. I forget you guys had it rough too."

Zeppelin made a slight sound as Dean rubbed his ears. He hardly went anywhere without Zeppelin now. Then again he took him when he and Haley started their life. He didn't know what to do with Xander or Moira and would have taken them but they stayed with Bobby. Dean figured they were doing what Sam and Angela would both want and that was to make sure the grizzled old hunter was looked after. It was something that he didn't quite understand with the whole Wilder thing but he did understand feelings and the dogs had feelings too.

Zeppelin began to pant happily at the attention that he was getting from Dean. He nuzzled the hunter's hand as if to provide reassurance. He wasn't sad about his sire being gone. It was the way of things. Pups left the den and went on to their hunters. He was sad that the hunters belonging to his siblings were not there.

Dean continued to rub Zeppelin and noticed how his anxiety was reducing. True he was still anxious about Sam but he was calm enough to think about what to do. He smiled, "You're a good boy, Zep. Don't worry. Angie will be home and then we can figure out about Sam."

Zeppelin nosed Dean's hand before his ears caught something. He stood up and looked out. Something was coming. He could hear it. He took a couple of steps forward and took a couple of sniffs. It was… He took a couple of more steps forward.

Dean noticed the posture Zeppelin took. "What is it buddy?"

Zeppelin looked around and sniffed. His ears swiveled before he pranced forward into a sprint. Dean watched as his dog took off. He frowned and started to follow his dog. He hoped that it wasn't another rat or some sort of vermin that he liked to chase. Squirrels were the worst because Zeppelin was a tracker and he didn't give up and the little bastards ran into everything and Zeppelin gave chase just because. He prayed that it wasn't another squirrel and followed in the direction his dog went. "If it's a squirrel Zep you better not go chasing it. I don't want Bobby complaining you broke something again," he muttered as he followed.

Dean rounded a corner and looked around. He knew Zeppelin was around somewhere. But it was quiet. Too quiet for his liking. That wasn't good since the place was warded against anything that would be coming after them. Whatever was there, it was something that was not the usual in terms of working the case. Whatever it was, it was not going to get Sam. But Zeppelin wasn't growling or barking either. So…

Dean rounded a corner and called out, "Zep, where are you? You better get your furry ass back here."

It came from behind as a pair of arms grabbed him from behind. The reaction was instantaneous and he grabbed the arms and with a firm grip pulled to wheel around his attacker. He watched as the body hit the ground and roll. The body was back on their feet and charging in an attack. It was so fast that Dean barely registered the fact that someone was there. They were in his face throwing punches which he barely managed to block.

Dean felt like he was being whiplashed as he crashed into a shelf knocking whatever it was over. He landed on the ground and groaned slightly. That was going to leave a mark as he pressed his hands to the ground and pushed himself up. He got to his feet and saw his attacker but dust made it hard to see who it was until he saw the flash of silver. His eyes widened slightly and turned to react but his attacker was already on the move.

It was instinct to grab the nearest thing as a weapon and brought it up just as it came down. The swipe was so quick that it cleared the dust. Dean looked at his attacker and couldn't help but gasp, "Angie?"

Angela jumped back and landed in a crouched position. She held her blade up in a position ready to strike as she looked at Dean. Dean stared at her, taking in her appearance. She was wearing a leather duster and was dressed in jeans and a shirt. The jeans were the skinny kind since she was wearing boots that came up to mid-thigh. A scarf completed her wardrobe and it was billowing from the clashing and the wind. The familiar chakram was hanging on her belt and her sword…

Dean blinked at what he was seeing. She was here but she was looking at him like she was expecting him to tackle her. He lowered the hand that had his weapon of choice to appear nonthreatening and ventured, "Angie, it's me. It's Dean." He held still to give her time to think about what was going on. He noticed Zeppelin and pointed at the dog, "Look it's Zep. You remember him, right?"

It seemed like an eternity as Dean held still. It amazed him that Angela was able to keep that posture for a long time. He shouldn't really be surprised. She was the kind of person to sit still for hours on end studying a map for patterns. She did it before introducing them to the Host at that club. Her posture here though was one that indicated she would attack if threatened. So he was going to be careful with this.

Finally Angela ended up relaxing her posture and frowned, "Dean?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, "It's me."

It was a little unnerving when she straightened up so fast and was suddenly in front of him. He ended up dropping his weapon but trusted her not to do anything and her weapon was lowered. She still had Absolution in her hand but she wasn't going to strike him. In fact, she put a hand on his head and leaned forward to the point where her face was in his.

Normally Dean would have made a joke about them being in close quarter but he didn't say anything. He focused on the intense look she was giving and the fact that her head was moving in a peculiar manner while moving his head with her hand. It was then that he saw her nose twitch. She was… sniffing him?

Dean knew that she could smell things like the dogs could. She was able to tell the difference between human and demon and it came in handy at times. He just never had seen her actively sniff like that before. He held still though to let her do what she needed to do. He couldn't explain it but it seemed the right thing to do and she did release his head after a time. It was then that he heard the clink of metal hitting the ground and her arms wrapping around him.

"Dean. Brother," came the whispered words.

Dean gasped slightly at the first words she spoke and it took him a split second to realize that she had enveloped him into a hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug. He let out the breath he had been holding. "Yeah. It's me."

It was quiet until Dean felt her straighten up suddenly. The next thing he knew was being pushed behind her and her hand went for her chakram and she hunched over into an attack position. He took a moment to peer over her shoulder to see that Bobby and Haley had come out. He figured they had heard the noise and had come out to investigate. He knew he had to do something before it got out of hand and he moved to get in front of her.

It turned out he didn't need to. Angela had straightened up and she blinked at Bobby and Haley before moving. Dean thought she was going to attack and was about to tell her to wait but he didn't need to do that either. She had grabbed Bobby into a hug and Bobby was grabbing her in a bear hug. He stood there with his mouth agape.

"You sure took your sweet time ya idjit."

Angela made a humming sound as she took a step back. She looked at everyone and blinked. Slowly she smiled at them. "So… I am home."

Dean looked at Bobby and Haley before taking a step forward. Despite everything that was going on, it was a happy moment. He felt his burden lighten slightly. He smiled slightly, "Yeah. You're home, Angie."

* * *

 **A/N:** And the reunion happens. Angie is finally home and she ends up kicking Dean's ass for it. How will she react to Sam's condition? Stay tuned for next time on Virgin Eyes...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"How long has it been?"

Dean blinked when he realized someone was talking to him. He turned from where he had been watching his brother sleeping on the cot… along with Angela. The sight was a little amusing in that Angela was wrapped around Sam like when Moira used to sleep on his feet. But it was not completely amusing.

After the hugs and relief she showed that she was in the right place, she became alert and made a beeline to Sam without asking anyone where he was. Dean wasn't going to touch that one but he had been impressed since he always knew she had a way of knowing. And he wasn't going to be an obstacle. She had just gotten back and was trying to make sense of the world; making sure that it wasn't going to backstab her in the back.

It was a bit awkward when she eyed the handcuffs still attached to the cot. Dean thought she was going to kick his ass for it but at least they weren't on Sam's wrists. Rather, she merely moved a few things and crawled into bed with Sam while giving him a beady eyed look as if to dare him to tease her. He didn't bother and he relaxed when Xander came and took his place along with Moira. Zeppelin nosed her hand before joining him. Dean was content to leave it alone despite the fact that it was excellent blackmail material.

She stayed with Sam for two days. When she wasn't curled around his brother, she was doing the basics which included eating, patrolling and doing other things that were normal for humans. It bothered Dean that she was too quiet but he was giving her space. He knew as well as she did what it was like in hell. He couldn't top the fact that she had been there now four times but he knew the effects it had on you and he was there for four months but it felt like forty years. She had been there a year and a half. That…

Dean spared another glance at Angela curled around Sam's body. She was looking a little more relaxed now. True she was alert but she was getting comfortable with the idea that they were in a safe place. He looked at the person who asked the question and replied, "How long she's been with Sam or…?"

Bobby looked at Dean, trying to hide his worry as he glanced into the room. While it made him happy they were together, the current situation… "Both."

Dean looked at the sleeping pair. He could see that she was actually sleeping and not that light sleep she would do. That was a good thing. "Well… two days for her and Sam… going on five."

"Didn't you say that Sam would be okay when Angie got here?"

Dean implied that. He was only going off experience. Every time there was a problem whether with him or Sam, Angela always managed to make it better and fix the problem. They took it for granted and they got screwed and blessed with her being regressed but… Yeah it was a problem but Dean was reluctant to bring more anxiety to her but Sam… "I thought it would help and I believe it. I guess it's a bit more than that."

"Why not call Cas and ask him for help?"

That was an idea and Dean knew he should have had the angel come by and do a diagnostic once Sam's soul was back in but he hesitated. He wasn't an idiot and he knew the signs. He wanted to give it a chance. Now it was looking like he would have to take other measures. He had to know if Sam was okay and he was certain she would too. He looked at Bobby and started for the stairs to the main floor of the house, "I'll give him a call."

It wasn't too hard to call the angel but Dean was reluctant. His concern was what would happen if Castiel showed up and Angela didn't recognize him off the bat. She attacked him because she wasn't sure until she heard his voice and she sniffed him. He doubted Castiel would allow the same. While it was the prudent thing to do, he wasn't sure if it was the right thing. He wanted to talk to Haley but she had gone to check up on the house and her bookstore. He would have to make it up to her.

"Sam hasn't woken up yet."

Dean nearly jumped at the closeness the voice was. He turned to see Angela standing there looking tired and solemn. Her eyes still held hints of alertness in them but her body language suggested relaxed and comfortable. That was a good sign and it allowed him to say, "Damn Angie. Can you not be so quiet? Nearly gave me a heart attack."

The look she gave him made his heart swell with joy since it was puzzled but the slightest hints of her teasing nature were there as she replied, "Have to keep you on your toes, Dean."

"You can do that once Sam gets back on his feet," Dean promised as he realized he was steering the conversation to what he wanted to avoid but knew that he couldn't.

She nodded at him and replied, "Yes. But I need to know why Sam hasn't woken up. Not once has he moved." She looked at Dean with an inquiring look as she took a couple of steps forward to get closer and asked in an almost childish tone, "What happened, Dean?"

Dean knew that he was going to have to tell her. He didn't want to but it would be a disservice and disrespectful to her. Besides she would know if he was lying and would call him out on it and probably with an ass kicking to boot. He wasn't sure though if she would believe the fact that she had been stuck in hell with Sam's soul while he had his body topside. She was already fragile and he didn't know what was going on in her head and what she would remember.

Seeing that she was waiting, Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair and said, "Angie um… there… there is something that I have to tell you. About… you and Sam."

It was a relief that she didn't fly off the handle. Rather, she looked at him like a confused puppy and asked, "What about?"

Dean cleared his throat and asked, "First off… what do you remember?"

"Everything."

That was blunt even for Dean and he wasn't going to press. "Okay. So uh…"

"Dean, what happened when I was in hell?"

Dean had to hand it to her that she was astute enough to know something happened and she was trying to piece it together. He just didn't want to put her through that if he could help it but it wasn't in the cards this time. "Well uh… Sam came back."

"No he didn't."

It could have turned into a childish fight but Dean set the record straight, "Angie, Sam did come back but it was his body. His soul was with you."

For someone who came back from hell, Angela took it pretty well in Dean's opinion but he wasn't comfortable with the somber stare she was giving him. It was too much like the ones she gave when she was telling him to come clean or else. He knew he had to clarify and tried again, "Angie, Sam was with you but it was his soul. Crowley said he brought Sam back but without his soul and well… Um…"

Dean told the story of what happened over the past year and a half. He was grateful that she listened but Angela's silence was nerve wracking. Her expression didn't give him a clue as to how she was handling the revelation. He thought for sure that she was going to fly off the handle at the mention of Crowley and some of the other crap that happened. He was certain that she would be pissed at what Campbell did to them since he knew there was no love lost between them. He didn't really mention that he saw the reaction when he had been sent back in time solo.

It had him nervous when he mentioned his bet with Death and what he was to do. He knew that she had every right to tell him and Sam how stupid they were for making deals and talking to beings that could screw with them eight ways from Sunday. Yet she was strangely quiet about the whole thing and waited until he was finished to say, "So you decided to talk to Death?"

"Well… more like try to bargain and I lost his bet."

"Huh."

Dean blinked at her, "What?"

"Makes sense now."

Dean raised his brow at her, "What makes sense?"

"That I wasn't losing my mind when he just appeared before I found myself in Stull Cemetery."

Dean didn't know whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing but at least there was some consistency and he wasn't the victim of a temper tantrum. Definitely a good thing there. "Wait, so you saw him?"

"Yep. He spoke to me but I'm not sure what it was. I do remember him saying something about getting me out… but not where I should be. I had to leave the way I came in." Angela frowned as she said that trying to remember.

Dean saw what she was trying to do and made haste to reassure her, "If you don't remember, it's okay. It's not like anyone wants to remember their time in hell." He swallowed slightly as he looked at her.

Nodding, Angela replied, "I'm sure it will come to me." It was a polite way of saying that she wouldn't attempt it but she wouldn't stop if she happened to remember something. "But it also explains why Sam is still asleep. I'm glad Death did what he did."

That was a surprise to hear and yet Dean felt he shouldn't be surprised. If anything Sam and his wellbeing was always at the forefront of her mind. As long as they were good, she wouldn't really be upset about anything else. You didn't want to push it though. "You do realize that Sam won't remember anything of hell."

"I know. That will be hard."

Dean watched as Angela shifted to think about it internally. At the look that was on her face he said, "Look, I would have thought Death would be the same towards you."

"But he really doesn't like me. Well… he does and he doesn't." Angela gave a knowing smile. She sobered though and her expression got serious. "Call Cas."

"You sure?"

"We need some answers and he might give us some."

"Okay," Dean replied a little wary.

"I'll try to remember not to react. I just need a few moments."

Dean looked at the reassuring smile she was giving. It made him really feel like a grade A douche. She knew he was concerned that she would attack the angel if he surprised her. No doubt she thought about it and he wouldn't blame her. "Just that… I wouldn't blame you. I don't blame you for pouncing on me."

"Just had to be sure. Sometimes…" Angela looked to the side and it seemed her eyes got clouded.

Dean watched as her eyes clouded but her expression looked like she was possessed. It had him panic that something was happening and he had no idea what it was. It baffled him when she straightened up and looked at him and said, "It's done. Cas is coming."

"Okay but how…?"

"Do you have to ask?"

"A little," Dean countered a little flustered. "I mean Kess was beside himself because he couldn't sense you. Did you forget to turn it on or something?" He didn't know how else to ask the question and he didn't want to come across as an insensitive jerk.

"I turned it back on. He was happy."

That was enough for Dean. He was going to say something when the familiar flap of wings sounded and Castiel was standing in the room, still a little too close for Dean's comfort. The upside was that he wasn't paying attention to Dean. He was looking at Angela. Dean thought the angel was giving serious eye sex the way he was staring at her and was totally surprised when the angel crossed the distance in a short amount of time and wrapped his arms around her in an unmistakable hug. Dean was speechless but he wasn't going to complain. Maybe weirded out but it was a step forward.

* * *

It was nice knowing that she was home. Angela looked out the window to stare at the sky. She had her arms wrapped around her chest more for comfort and a reminder that she was not in hell anymore. She knew that now and had known for some time. She just needed to orient herself, which was why she didn't speak but observed.

It wasn't perfect since she encountered demons and miscreants along her chosen path. She was well aware of what she had done and she felt the guilt of killing but not sorry that they were dead. She had a feeling Dean would understand and Sam… She sighed softly and closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

Sam was alive and there. She had felt such relief that he was there with her topside. But she was wary. She knew that she worried people when she hopped onto the cot and covered Sam's body with her own and growled if she perceived a threat. It was just. She rubbed the left side of her neck and felt longing. It was a new sensation and it felt embarrassing and yet… Dean understood and let her be and for that she was grateful.

She took breaks from her vigil with Sam and relaxed when Dean or Bobby came to check on him and she smiled at Haley. But she was uneasy. Sam didn't wake up and it had her anxious. She didn't understand what was wrong, which was why she sought out Dean in the living room and he told her. He told everything about what happened. It confused her at first but when he went into detail it didn't seem so confusing afterwards but it didn't explain the troubling part of why she couldn't tell that it was Sam's soul with her.

There were a lot of unanswered questions and the need to sift through what she had experienced along with what Death told her. She still didn't remember all of it but he had that sense of urgency in his expression despite being annoyed with her. Something was up and it started with Dean and Sam's body looking into it and she got the uneasy feeling that Crowley was involved. It was simply a lot to go through and it didn't help that Castiel surprised her yet again.

Angela had seen what passed for angel expressions and what she saw on Castiel's face… it had her go with her default and that was to observe and assess for a threat. She didn't know what else to do and even less when the angel walked up to her and grabbed her in a hug, a full on hug and not the awkward ones he gave. It had her blink in surprise but it softened the moment he murmured Enochian in her ear. She was able to smile and pat the angel after recognizing the scent of wind with a slight earthy touch to it. It also allowed them to get down to business.

Dean took the lead and explained what happened. Castiel looked a little pissed that Dean had waited until now but Angela was grateful that he waited though it seemed illogical at the time. She led the way down to the panic room and let the angel it. It was a testament to how calm she was by doing that and she knew that Dean was relieved. She wasn't that good since Dean gave her a teasing bump to the shoulder as they waited while the angel checked on the state of Sam's soul.

The creaking sound got their attention and Dean was on his feet first followed by Angela. Dean asked, "Well?"

Castiel looked at Dean and then Angela before pacing and fixing his coat sleeve. He replied, "His soul is in place."

Dean looked at Angela who looked relieved at that. She wasn't showing signs of concern about Sam waking up so he felt the need to ask, "Is he ever gonna wake up?"

"I'm not a human doctor, Dean."

That was an obvious one. Angela and Dean both knew that but he could sense things that no human doctor could. Seeing that Dean was looking impatient, she asked in a quiet tone, "A guess then. Please."

Castiel turned to look at Angela. He cast a glance at Dean but his attention was focused on her. He took a couple of steps forward, "Okay. Probably not."

"Well don't sugarcoat it," Dean retorted with the sarcasm lining his voice heavily. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked in on Sam.

"I'm sorry, Dean, but I warned you not to put that thing back inside him."

"What was I supposed to do?" Dean looked at the angel harshly, aware that his tone could be detrimental to Angela's state of mind. He looked at her and found her staring at Castiel with that bland expression that Sam hated. "Let T-1000 walk around, hope he doesn't open fire?"

"Let me tell you what his soul felt like when I touched it," Castiel snapped back as he advanced towards Dean. "Like it had been skinned alive, Dean. If you wanted to kill your brother, you should have done it outright."

Angela heard Castiel's description while trying not to overreact to the harsh tones. She closed her eyes and as soon as the angel described Sam's soul, she saw flashes of what Lucifer and Michael had done to them both. She could hear the screams but they were like whispers of the wind. She was breathing but it had gotten heavier by the time she heard the last part of Castiel's response. She gasped slightly and said, "Cas…"

Castiel paused in his rant and looked towards Angela. He blinked at what he was seeing and sensed Dean's reaction. He started towards her but was held back when she put up her hand. "Angela…"

"It's not you," she said as she calmed herself. She straightened up and looked at the angel. She saw that he was serious about the state of Sam's soul. Then she said something that came to her, "The soul is hardy, Cas. It is the source of our strengths."

Castiel stared at her, taking in her shaking form. He sensed she was remembering hell and she didn't want assistance with the episode but rather had something to tell him. It was like her and he didn't like that she wasn't letting them in to help her. He looked at Dean before deciding to flap away, leaving them standing there.

Dean sighed when Castiel left and looked at Angela. "You okay, Angie?"

Angela was looking down at the floor. She was seeing flashes of hell and the screaming and sounds were in her ears like the wind whistling by. She took a couple of breaths and said, "I'll be okay." She looked at him and gave a sad smile at that. She could already see that it was going to be a long road ahead of them.

Dean, for his part, it was another worry. Maybe what the angel said would happen and that Sam would never wake up. He had no idea how he was going to deal with that and he didn't have the faintest of clues on how to help Angela. He knew she was seeing memories of hell when he and the angel had their argument. He looked at her and watched as she made her way up the stairs with a slightly pained expression on her face. He then turned and looked at Sam lying on the cot unconscious. Castiel had to be wrong. Sam was going to wake up. He had to.

Feeling totally stupid but it felt right, Dean walked in and kneeled beside his brother. He looked at Sam's prone body and thought about it for a moment before saying, "Sam… I don't know if you can hear me but… You gotta wake up man. Prove Cas wrong and that you'll beat this. Most important…" Dean paused as he thought it through and added, "Most important… wake up for her. You love her man. And she does you. She's been here with you every step of the way. I know you know that. Think of that."

Dean left it at that and went upstairs. He looked around and found that Angela was nowhere in sight. Feeling alarmed but keeping it together, he walked into Bobby's study and asked, "Where's Angie?"

"Outside. More likely standing in the yard and taking a sniff," Bobby replied while nursing a drink. He silently pulled out another glass as Dean fixed a chair for himself. He poured him a glass and topped his. "Like my daddy always said, 'Just cause it kills your liver don't mean it ain't medicine.'" He picked up his glass and held it ready to drink.

Dean picked up his. It was a fine time to be getting philosophy lesson but… He took a sip. He shifted and saw Angela just as Bobby said she would be. She was standing just outside the window and looking up at the sky. He couldn't see her face but he was pretty sure that her eyes were closed as she just breathed. He saw the cat and her dog sitting beside her. At least they would keep her out of trouble.

"Sam still asleep?"

"Yeah." Dean watched Angela as she stood outside.

Bobby followed Dean's gaze to see Angela just where he predicted she would be. The last few days went better than he thought in terms of her coping but even he knew that it was going to take some time. "He'll wake up," he offered to Dean.

"Yeah," Dean countered, not really feeling the confidence.

Bobby studied Dean for a moment before replying, "Dean, he's been through how much? Somehow he always bounces back." He glanced at the window for a moment and added, "And you know she does too. If anything that idjit comes out fighting fit even before the experts say she's ready. You know that."

"He's never been through this," Dean pointed out, "And she has. Four times now." Dean held up four fingers to make a point.

"Well I don't know about losing the soul part but the hell part… yeah," Bobby nodded in agreement. "And it could be the medicine he needs when he wakes up."

"Maybe," Dean offered in politeness. "Hale thinks it will."

"Then go with it. You trust her right?"

Dean shot a look at Bobby that said he was nuts for even suggesting doubt. Of course he trusted Haley. He trusted Angela and anyone else that never let them down when they needed help. He just was… His gaze hit upon a newspaper clipping. It looked like Bobby was doing research. "A job?"

"Might be," Bobby replied, taking the hint. He handed the clipping to Dean.

"Can I help? Send me to the library? Anything?"

Bobby knew that Dean needed to keep busy. He toyed with the idea that it might help Angela too. He wasn't going to touch that yet but he explained what he found, "Couple goes up in a light plane. Wreckage was just found in the woods."

"Couple of Buddy Hollys doesn't really seem like 'News of the Weird.'"

"Pilot was found 17 miles away. Flambéed. Girl's just gone. No body. No nothing."

"Okay. I'm not changing the channel." To Dean it was starting to sound like a job. Maybe it was something he could do and with Angela.

"Dean."

At the sound of his name, Dean turned in his seat. He saw Sam fully vertical in the doorway, looking at him. Sam was awake. And his Sasquatch ass was heading towards him and wrapping his arms in a big assed bear hug. Dean couldn't help but respond but he was nervous as he watched Sam go over to Bobby and replay what he last remembered of the grizzled hunter. Then he looked out the window and then was gone out the door.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sam is still unconscious and Angie is coping and Cas pays a visit. Stay tuned for more Virgin Eyes...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Angela was standing outside and looking up at the sky to think. There were no stars but plenty of clouds and the air was fresh. It would allow her to clear her head and further reassure her that she was topside and not in hell. It also helped that Xander was there and even Setna the cat was. She glanced at them and smirked, "You two. Cat and dog together."

 _I am your first, alpha._

 _And I am only here because the elder's wellbeing figures into my own._

Angela snorted at that. She knew that they were happy to see her. Setna curled up next to her when she was asleep with Sam and his purring was soothing to her ears. Xander was the guard dog and she could see hints of the irascible beast he was then. She replied softly, "Yeah I hear you. I'm glad to see you all."

 _We are glad alpha. The beta and the beta's mate… they were worried about your mate. Something wasn't right._

"I heard."

 _Now you are here and the alpha's mate is better._

Angela heard the sounds Xander was making. She hummed and smiled as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I'm glad to be home too but… so much was left behind." She opened her eyes and looked upwards.

Adam was still in the cage. Death couldn't or wouldn't release him. That pissed her off. And she was saddened. She lost Cerebus. If someone wanted to get technical, he just ended his physical form meaning he couldn't go back. He was now back in Tartarus. Where he belonged he said but that didn't make it hurt less. She missed the beast.

 _The master of the pups did his role. It is the way of things._

For dogs it was very simple and straightforward and in the end it made sense. Angela knew that they were sad that the loveable hell on four legs was no longer with them but… everything had time and season. It hurt yes like it did when Gabriel died. But there was also a sort of release, like you knew you could go on and come out stronger for it. She could wax philosophical about it and have Dean tease her and pretend to get frustrated but she got it.

Sighing she rolled her shoulders and extended her arms upwards to stretch them. The wind was blowing and blew a blonde streak across her face. Making a slight sound she reached up and grasped the lightened lock. She had noticed it when she focused enough to really look at herself. Her hair had grown significantly to the point that it was as long as she remembered it before she lopped it off. She also had highlights, like she had been touched by rays of light.

It was a strange thing to her and she tried dying them but they refused to be colored. They were permanent so she ended up ignoring them. Dean and Bobby did as well more out of respect for her. Haley commented that it made her look badass. In reality, it didn't bother her but it was disturbing that no amount of hair dye could cover it up if she needed to change her appearance. And she liked having her hair long again. Before this she had been growing it out and mostly because Sam had expressed interest in it being down and long.

Angela studied the blondish lock with a bland expression since her thoughts reverted back to Sam and the fact that he was still asleep. She heard what Castiel said about the status of his soul. Just hearing about it was not the same as seeing. What she saw and knew in hell… it was the visual form of what Castiel saw. She still had no idea how it was possible that she couldn't tell the difference. But what was worrying was Sam.

Looking up at the sky she mused, "If Sam wakes up… will it be as Cas says?"

She put her hands behind her back in an at ease stance. It allowed her muscles to stretch and it sort of kept her grounded by feeling the pull of the muscles. She sighed and continued to look up at the sky and let her thoughts muddle through while she took in the scents that were carried on the winds.

She thought about her time in hell. Dean had put it into perspective. She knew that being in hell was different in terms of perception of time. She had been in multiple places where perceptions of time were different before. When she was a prisoner of hell, she had been in there for at least a year and perception-wise, a month topside was ten years in hell. As a prisoner, it felt like an eternity and maybe… that was the point.

To hear that she had been in the cage for a year and a half with Sam's soul… that really wasn't a hard thing to hear. She actually was calm about it. She suspected that Dean was concerned about her reaction when he gave her the whole story. She knew that she had given him the look and he had debated about telling her internally before giving in. She was grateful for it and it put into perspective a lot of things and would help to figure out things.

Angela closed her eyes and took in a couple of breaths. She listened to the wind as it blew through her hair and whispered in her ears. She took in the sounds of the birds, the insects… she could even hear the breathing of Xander and Setna as they sat with her. They were different from the sounds she had heard in the cage. The difference was something that cemented the fact she was no longer in hell. Lucifer and Michael were good with the illusions but she could sense the differences.

She stretched her arms behind her as she kept her hands clasped behind her. It felt good to move in ways that she hadn't been able to in hell. She was moving constantly because it was a fight for survival. It certainly changed her body; she ended up with a body that was more in shape than when she went in and she ended up with a makeover on her hair.

A paw touched her leg. Angela looked down to see Setna looking up at her with the wide eyes that basically got Dean to warm up to the fur ball. Smiling, she bent over and picked up the fur ball and held it in her arms like a football. She hummed a chuckled when Setna started purring as she held him that way. He was an adult cat and still liked to be held like that. It was Sam that got him attached to that way of being held and she found it funny because as a kitten, Setna was tiny in Sam's hands. She couldn't help but say, "You really like this you fur ball. Though I think it's because of Sam. We need our own pose."

It was meant to be a joke but Setna seemed to have other ideas. Angela knew that Setna had what Dean dubbed the claws of doom and didn't blame him for that. She held still when the cat twisted to use his claws to climb up to her shoulder. She watched as best as she could with amusement in her eyes as the cat got onto her left shoulder and rubbed his head against hers affectionately before he turned to sit and face in the same direction she was facing. She couldn't help but laugh a little when the cat leaned against her head. "You really are a fluff ball."

It was a joy to hear just a meaningless meow as Setna rubbed her head with his. It made her laugh as she reached up with her left and absently played with the cat's tail. She glanced at Xander who was twitching his tail like it was nothing. She smirked when he gave a yawn and moved to lay down at her feet. She was happy that he was relaxed enough to feel that he could do that.

When she first arrived at the house, she had noticed that he was tense. It had her wonder what had happened to make him so agitated. Even when he was clear that he was happy that she was home, he was still tense. He whined when she went straight to Sam and proceeded to curl around him protectively. It was another thing that was cleared up with Dean's explanation. She sighed.

It was difficult to hear that Dean had been with Sam without his soul. It was even more difficult to hear that as a soulless man what Sam had done. She could hardly believe it since the man she knew as Sam was not like that. It also had her scared because it was a trip down a region of memories that she tried so hard to keep clamped down and buried. She had almost gone that road and she had a soul when she had done it. The thought alone was enough to sober her thinking.

Angela made a slight hum and a sighed. She looked away just as the wind blew, whipping her hair. That was when the whispers started. She closed her eyes trying to wish the whispers away. She muttered, "Please. Not now."

The whispers didn't stop. Rather they seemed to be part of the wind and took her back to the first days after Lucifer said he caught her. It made her gasp slightly as she heard the screams. She also felt the searing heat that seemed to dig into her spine. Her neck throbbed as well as it was starting to now. The feeling started having her take gasping breaths.

"No. I am not there anymore," she said to herself.

It seemed to work and the whispers lightened. It allowed Angela to breathe a little easier. It was then that she felt Setna's tail curl around her neck and gently tickle her skin. It also helped when Setna's head rubbed hers. She smiled slightly and reached up and started caressing his fur. "Thanks Setna."

The cat made a slight sound and then began purring. It had Angela chuckle gently. She smiled as she continued to absently stroke his fur. She felt his tail curl around her neck and gently brush against her mark on her neck. Surprisingly it wasn't painful at all. It had her blink and gasp slightly in surprised. She shifted to try and look at the cat but couldn't since he pressed against her.

Nodding, she faced forward and continued to sniff the air to bring herself to a state of calm. This was going to be harder than she thought. It puzzled her since she couldn't recall this ever happening when Gabriel rescued her from hell. She remembered the nightmares she had and ever since coming back this time she hadn't had any. She frowned a little as she tried to figure why that was. She ran through what she did that first day she arrived home.

She remembered snapping to attention after greeting Bobby and Haley. She felt the pull. It was directing her, reminding her that she had one final task to do. She must have looked like an insensitive bitch since she just seemed to brush past everyone and headed into the house. She didn't even ask. It was like she knew where to go and marched through the house and downstairs to the basement, to the panic room. She felt driven and then it was gone the moment she opened the salted iron door and saw Sam lying unconscious on the cot. First instincts were to demand who had done that but it was like something else was triggered and she went full on protection mode. Had it been a couple of years earlier she would have blushed at her boldness for crawling on top of him to keep him protected but it was like something was egging her to do her job. She closed her eyes again and listened.

 _Protect… mate…_

Angela opened her eyes slightly and whispered, "Protect mate…"

 _For all intents and purposes you are married._

Angela narrowed her eyes and studied nothing in particular as she remembered a conversation that she was certain felt like a dream. She continued to whisper, "Mated… my… protect…"

It felt confusing but it also felt right. Angela softened her expression slightly but was still frowning. She sensed something was going on. She felt a slight tickle and it continued to prickle particularly on her neck. She wanted to rub it but Setna was pressed against her. So she absently stroked his tail since he was still sitting on her shoulder. She stared ahead and whispered, "Wake up, Sam. Wake up."

Angela narrowed her eyes and stared straight ahead. The wind whipped her hair as she looked off into the distance. She thought about her conversation with Death. She told Dean, Haley and Bobby that she didn't remember much but she needed to think about it. She still had a hard time believing what happened that got her out.

 _I'm sure you'll understand what is going on. Right now you are needed where you belong. It's all about the souls, Angela._

"All about the souls," she muttered frowning.

"Angie?"

The voice caught her attention. She knew who it was and it was confirmed by the scent that blew her way. She straightened up and turned slightly. The scent became stronger and along with it… She stiffened slightly when it hit full force but she willed her body to stay still. She turned more to look at the one who called her name. She felt Setna jump off her shoulder and she fully turned to face him. "Sam."

 _Find the other half._

* * *

Everything felt sluggish as he tried to open his eyes. He wanted to but he couldn't move. He panicked a little at that he couldn't move and he couldn't do anything to fix it. He fought but to no avail until… Until he felt something that was familiar and a familiar scent hit his nostrils. The scent relaxed him immediately. He still couldn't open his eyes but he knew that he was safe. But he had to keep trying to wake up. Something was telling him he had to.

 _Wake up, Sam._

Sam heard it. He knew that voice. It was calling to him. He had been worried about her.

 _Wake up._

Sam's eyes opened and he gasped. It was like coming out of a dream. He looked around and recognized where he was at. It was Bobby's panic room. What did that mean? It had him frown as he sat up and looked around. He ran a hand through his locks and took a breath before standing up. He was back right?

He made his way up the stairs to the main floor. He heard voices. One stood out and he made a beeline to it. He saw his brother sitting there. He was back. He called to his brother and when Dean turned to look at him, he knew. He walked up to him and gave him a hug. He poured his emotions into it as he felt Dean's familiar embrace. He was out of hell. Then he saw Bobby.

His reaction was the same with Dean and walked right up and gave a hug to the man that was like a father to him. This… this was… He squeezed the grizzled hunter to let him know how happy he was to see him and heard Bobby say that it was good to see him. It was good to see him too but then it hit. He stood back. "Wait. I saw… I felt Lucifer snap your neck." He frowned as he tried to make sense of it.

"Well, Cas kind of…"

That was good news. Sam latched onto that, "Cas is alive?"

"Yeah, Cas is fine," Dean said. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sam replied with a slight smile as he looked up. "Actually…" He then saw something out the window. He took a step forward to get a good look.

She was standing out there looking at nothing in particular. The wind was blowing her hair so that it looked like how they do that effect in the movies. She was standing there looking like she was waiting. Something pulled at his heart and he felt a twinge in his neck. He forgot what he was going to say and brushed past Dean towards the door. He managed to get down to the yard and stopped to take a good look at her.

She looked like she did the day he jumped into the pit. There were some differences though. Her hair was longer. It was all the way down to just above the swell of her butt. It was wavy like he remembered but it was different. He could make out streaks in her hair and they were perfect. Like that mattered. Her body was different too. It was a little thinner from before but her muscle tone made up for it.

Sam studied her. Now he was certain that he was no longer in hell. He called out to her, "Angie?"

He watched as she turned to look back at him. The expression on her face… He saw the look of shock cross her face as she turned to completely look at him. It was then he heard, "Sam."

The air was quiet between them with only the wind blowing between him. It allowed him to take in her full person. He watched as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture revealed the left side of her neck. That was all Sam needed.

It was like he was possessed as he crossed the distance between them. He had Angela in his arms and was pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss. On some level he knew that it surprised her and it made him feel like a cad since he disliked hurting her or making her uncomfortable and he said she didn't have to be afraid of him. On the other hand, he couldn't help it. Something told him to do it and in a fit of weakness, he obeyed the impulse. The reaction was different than what he expected.

She wasn't repulsed by the move. She gasped from surprise but she didn't break away. She grabbed him and pulled him in as he pulled her. She returned the kiss with equal ferocity as him. It forced him to pull her closer. It drove him to pull her even closer and he tugged on her hips as she grabbed him around the neck and pressed her lips harder to his.

He responded by pulling onto her hips to lift her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he adjusted his grip so she wouldn't fall. She pulled on his neck and pressed her lips to his. From memory he walked towards the shed that was hers. He didn't need to see where he was going to find his way. He carried her to the door and managed to open it with one hand. He was going to shut it when it shut on its own accord and he heard her giggle into the kiss she was giving him.

Sam had no idea what was going on with him. All he knew was that he wanted this and he was being driven by instinct. Something was telling him that he needed to do this and it was throwing his desires into overdrive. He just wanted to keep kissing her and he did that as he walked through the shed towards the room that had the bed from memory. He didn't encounter any barriers and the door opened without any help from him.

The door clicked and Sam pressed his back against it. He felt her legs slide down to touch the ground but she didn't let go of him. He felt her fingers reach up into his hair and started massaging his scalp. His hands moved upwards on her back, his fingers moving in a massaging manner. He was aware were this was heading and a part of him told him to stop and listen to reason but the dominant part was telling him to keep going.

Sam was aware that by doing what he did and walking out on his brother and Bobby like that was going to get serious questions raised but he couldn't explain the urge to go out there. True he had to see and make sure that it was Angela but just seeing her had him be overcome by a fierce desire. All he could think about was getting her and taking her somewhere and… The very thought made him want to blush but he couldn't.

 _She's mine._

Where had that thought come from? Sam never thought of Angela in terms of possession. Yeah he turned into what Dean called being a bigger bitch than usual but he had good reason. He was not going to let anyone disrespect her in that manner. But this was different. It sounded possessive but not quite. It was weird and it was natural for him to question it but his instincts were overriding his sense.

 _Quit thinking. She is mine. Do what's natural._

Sam heard what his inner voice was saying and he didn't like where it was going. He wasn't going to do that to her. Angela was not a possession. His eyes widened slightly and he put his hands on her upper arms. He had to stop before it went too far. He would not do this to her. Not if she didn't know what was going on or what she was doing. He wouldn't have her feel guilty for something she had no control over nor would he have her feel ashamed. He gripped her upper arms and pushed her away gently, "Wait. Please, wait Angie."

The look on her face was one he didn't expect. The confusion and the hints of sadness shocked him. It was as if she were silently asking him if he no longer desired her. That was hardly the truth. He wanted her and more than he could express. He just wanted to make sure she wasn't doing this because of crazy hormones.

"Don't stop, Sam."

Sam looked again and saw that Angela was slightly trembling. She looked like she was in pain. "Angie."

"Please don't stop what you're doing," she repeated while shaking slightly. "As much as I want reason… I also want this."

Sam looked at her, watching her trembling. It was then he realized that he was in a cold sweat. What was happening now? He frowned in confusion and looked at her.

"Please, Sam," she begged. "Your scent is… I know you feel it too."

He protested, "But…"

"It's what you want to do," she said as she shivered. "The more you resist…" She made a slight sound along with a slight shrug.

If anything that was reasoning making itself known. Still Sam knew that it was flawed on some level but again instinct was screaming at him to shut up and get going. He did notice she was resisting enough to give him the choice of saying no. As much as it would be the grown up thing to do he was hardly in the mood to be the grown up but he appreciated the gesture all the same. It was an endearing point with her. He still had to ask and it felt like his teeth were chattering as he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Even if I wasn't feeling like I want to chase you down and tackle you…" Her expression shifted into a predatory gaze that indicated she would do just that if he wanted her to.

The expression on her face was enough for him. The last vestiges of his control snapped when she reached out and touched his face. At the same time her head shifted to reveal her neck. He pounced on her and pulled her hard towards him and wrapped her in bear hug and smashed his lips against hers in a quick kiss before he pulled back and started attacking her neck and started lavishing attention on it. Each moan she gave encouraged him further and he was acutely aware that she was clawing at him and somehow she managed to pull his shirt over his head without ripping the buttons off.

"I can do one better," she teased.

Sam growled when he heard that and he heard her throat pulse before it started the familiar rumbling that was like a soothing balm and like a siren's call to him. He grabbed her shirt and ended up giving it a few tears before he pulled the sweater thingies off of her and he growled when she laughed at him in that teasing tone. She wanted to play huh?

All voice of reason was gone as he grabbed her by the waist and started pushing her. She resisted with growls of her own but he was having none of it. He made similar sounds she could do and under normal circumstances would have been surprised he could do that. Now he didn't care. She dared to tease him? He pushed her down on the bed in the room and pinned her with his body daring her to try and get free while he distracted her with his hands and tongue. This was going to be fun.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sam wakes up and he's happy to see Dean and Bobby but looks like he had an urge and goes to find Angie. Crazy huh? Stay tuned for more Virgin Eyes...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"And he actually just walked right out after all the touchy feely?"

Dean glared at Haley since she was trying hard not to laugh and was failing badly. He muttered, "Yeah. And then he just grabs Angie and they…" He made a gesture with his hands.

Haley lost it and started laughing. She knew that it was no laughing matter since it was like one minute Sam was passed out with no signs of waking up and the next minute he was vertical. He had just gotten his soul back and that had to be rough in the first place. The hilarious part was the fact that after Sam acknowledged his brother and Bobby, he took off and it led to him and Angela going into her shed and doing the deed.

"Alright laugh it up, Hale," Dean groused.

Haley tried to get it under control and clutched her stomach to help. It was hard because it was too funny and to her it spelled a good thing. "I'm sorry but that… that was actually hilarious to hear."

"It's not funny," Dean pouted.

Haley stopped her laughing and it died into gentle chuckles. She walked over to where Dean was sitting and hugged him while rubbing his head like she was soothing a grumpy child. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it. It's just what you described was… Sam."

Dean pulled back to look at her like she was crazy. Bobby, who had been sitting quietly and trying to process everything, looked at her in the same manner. The grizzled hunter said, "I think you've been off the beaten path, Hale."

Haley was well aware that she was not making sense. Then again they didn't read what she had read. And she wasn't going to say anything since she knew Dean pretty well. Once he figured out a few things he would make Sam's life a living hell as only brothers would do and she didn't want Sam to get so pissed that he'd say something he would regret or worse. She shook her head smiling and replied, "Nah. Just paying more attention to things."

Dean knew that she was up to something given the way she was smirking at him and Bobby. She wasn't put out by the fact that Sam broke a chick flick moment for what he was assuming was a booty call. Sam didn't do that and Angela… He was disinclined to think that it was normal at all. He expected that things would not be all right when Sam woke up but this… "Alright spill it," he said.

"Nope. It's secret woman's business," Haley replied with a sweet smile. She knew that it would ward Dean off for a while since she implied that interference could be painful on his end especially if it was a sensitive subject.

Dean stared at her, not believing it for a second. Haley knew something was going on and she thought it funny and if he stopped to think about it, she wasn't bothered by it. That was a hint that he shouldn't worry about what was going on. Maybe he shouldn't but this was going to bug him and he had a mind to ask Sam once he… got it out of his system. He made a face and looked away.

Haley saw Dean's reaction. He didn't believe her but he was wary enough to leave it alone. It would come soon enough about what was going on. Bobby was already suspicious and she saw him shuffling things on his desk. It would probably be easier when the pair joined them and they weren't exactly perfection. No doubt they would have a bit of rough here and there if the tomes held any sense of truth and they usually did. She added to reassure, "Don't worry about it, Dean. Personally, I thought you would cheer since you've been the one near setting a betting pool about when they would actually do the deed before all this."

"Only because Sam's a bonehead about her," Dean replied trying to defend himself. "A bonehead and a dumbass."

Haley hummed at him with a knowing smile before going to check on the supplies she had bought while running errands. "And you are a Neanderthal at times… but you're still adorable."

Dean scowled at that. He didn't like it when Haley got cute and described him like he was a six year old. "Fine, I won't press," he hollered, "But I reserve the right to ask questions if anything related to hell pops up including the sex."

Haley's snickering could be heard from the kitchen and Dean felt his face flush when he realized what he had just said. He always walked into those whether it was Angela or Haley. Angela was nicer about it but Haley… she was like the sissy runt that was Sam's dog. Sweet and nice but hit the right button and then she turned on you and she hunted you down with no mercy. They had a couple of tiffs the past year that made Angela's cold shoulder seem like a treat.

"Ya know you walk into those right?"

Dean shifted to look at Bobby and raised his brow. He knew that. He just didn't want it pointed out to him. Sometimes it made him feel stupid and he started on with the fact that yeah he wasn't like Sam who granted with honors from high school and then went to Stanford on a scholarship and would have gone to law school with a full ride. He would cool off though since it wasn't like they were out to deliberately hurt him. It was bruised ego through and through.

Taking the chance to collect his thoughts, he left the room. He was in two minds to go and take a look at what was going on in the shed. It did have him curious since Angela was not an experienced woman in terms of that but he was curious. She was experienced in being seductive; she attracted men and women and both sexes would look at her like they wanted to eat her and in that good way. Luckily for the women Sam didn't hit girls unless it called for it like she was kicking his ass. Guys… not so lucky.

Dean sat on the back porch with a beer dangling from his fingers. It was late in the afternoon and he could see the shadows stretch lazily longer and longer. Zeppelin was lying by his feet looking bored. He could see Xander sitting by the door of the shed and he looked like he was going to pounce on anyone jaws snapping if they tried to enter. Setna and the claws of doom was lying in the grass being lazy. Moira came to sit by him and rest her head on his shoulder. He allowed it mostly because there was little else to do.

"How are things, Dean?"

Dean jumped slightly but only moved to look at the one who joined him. He made a slight face and took a sip of his beer. "About as well as can be expected. At least you've got personal space down, Kess."

Kesset's lips twitched at that. "I recall that it was an issue of importance to you and am well aware that there are some distances that are uncomfortable for humans."

"Doesn't apply to you?" Dean looked ahead at nothing. His question was more to be sarcastic and he didn't really want to know.

"According to your lore, I am an emotional wreck capable of leveling mountains and laying waste to entire regions," Kesset pointed out as he took a couple of steps forward. He surveyed the area letting the wind ripple through his hair giving it a messier look that had girls swoon and made him look totally badass. "And don't mention the mating rituals."

"Like I want to," Dean countered. He then frowned at Kesset once he realized what he had heard and asked, "You too?"

"You too what?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "Oh come on. You don't know what's going on?"

"I know that the princess is doing well. The juju princess has been keeping me informed," Kesset replied with a raised brow. He wasn't familiar with all the nuances of human expression and he wasn't quite sure what Dean was getting at. "And she reconnected not too long ago."

"I know that because Cas was here."

"Then… what are you…?" Kesset eyed Dean when his eyes widened slightly and he turned to look. His gaze lighted on the shed and he stared at the door.

Dean watched the Avian and while he thought it humorous he was still in a… he had no clue mood. It was funny to see Kesset get wide eyed like he had just watched something scandalous like someone dancing naked in front of him though he seriously doubted that it was enough to make the Avian blush. He had seen him view attempts at humor like it was nothing.

"I see that Sam is doing well," Kesset offered, "And the princess is happy."

"I'll bet."

"To be expected judging by the sounds…"

"Whoa," Dean held out his hand and shook it at the Avian. "As much as I am curious about what the hell they are doing… Don't." He held his hand up to stop Kesset. No doubt he would tell him everything in every gory detail. The kid made a sexcapade sound like a boring report and it was painful to hear but you couldn't stop listening. It was like a bad car wreck. Dean wanted to avoid that since he didn't know if he would be able to keep his sanity and end up pestering Sam with the knowing looks or Haley would torment him for being a nosy bastard. "That's going into a little too much information there."

Kesset shrugged his shoulders like it didn't matter, "It's only natural considering that they have been torturing themselves."

"Torturing?" Dean wasn't sure if he wanted to know where this was going but like a bad car wreck, he asked."

"Yes," Kesset replied in a matter of fact tone.

"What like foreplay?"

"If you call resisting lure of scent foreplay."

Dean decided he had enough. He wasn't going to add to the other stuff and Haley would be laughing at him for days on end. "Okay, enough of that." He stood up and went to pace a bit. It was hard to do so because the shed was in plain sight and… he was a little curious.

"You look tense."

Dean looked at Kesset with a look, "No shit, Kess. I just spent twenty-four hours as Death. Lost the bet and still get Sam's soul back with a wall and Angie came back and tackled me before sniffing me and then literally jumps on Sam and all but barks at us to stay away for the first day. And not to mention said brother gets vertical and does his usual chick flick, which I'm willing to go through, and he walks out and snatches Angie up like a caveman to go and do… whatever."

"Makes sense," Kesset replied calmly after listening to Dean. He turned to look around and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I'll be on patrol."

"Wait. That's it?"

Kesset shifted to look back at Dean and replied with a slight smirk, "You're complaining about something that is perfectly natural and something that you have never hesitated to brag about. The princess is safe and hence I am not needed. Farewell."

Dean watched as Kesset transformed into his bird form and took off. He muttered, "And he missed it entirely." He looked at the shed. He could march over there and start demanding answers but he decided against it. Eventually he would get answers to the question that weighed heavily on his mind and that was what did Sam remember of hell if anything at all?

He turned to go back into the house and endured Haley's teasing about his reaction. In the meantime he took the opportunity to read up what Bobby had gathered about a potential job. It was weird enough for his tastes but he wasn't sure about whether or not to drag Sam into it. Angela maybe…

"You know a watched pot never boils."

Dean gave a look at Bobby and took in the slight smirk. It seemed that everyone was out to tease him today. He replied, "I'm not watching. I'm checking the time." He would have said more when a sound came from the kitchen.

Three pairs of eyes turned to see two dogs and a cat trot in. It was like those movies that build up suspense and what was revealed was something cute or nothing at all. It didn't last since Sam came in followed by Angela holding onto his hand. To add to the comical nature of that entrance, Sam said, "Um… I'm actually hungry."

* * *

"Sam."

Dean watched as Sam looked at Angela and she gave that look. He knew that one. It was the one she used to give him all the time because of his manners. And it had the same effect on Sam since he slowed down on the sandwich that he had been chowing down on like it was his last meal. For Angela, she merely twitched her lip and picked up her own sandwich and took ladylike bites. He shook his head, "Sam, uh… What's the last thing you remember?"

Sam had been focusing on the sandwich he was eating. He had been starving actually after spending all afternoon with Angela. She was hungry as well and she was showing that she could eat and still be a lady about it. It was one of the more amusing things he liked about her. At least he was calmer than he was earlier. It was like whatever it was that drove them crazy; it was out of their systems and it allowed him to focus on what Dean was asking him.

Sam was aware that his behavior may have puzzled his brother and Bobby. Hell it puzzled him too but it done and there was nothing to worry about. He did wonder why Haley was smirking and trying hard not to laugh the moment she said hello and went to work making sandwiches. He looked at Dean and thought about what he did remember.

It was like yesterday. He remembered putting in the last ditch effort to take control and he did. He did and opened the cage and he fell in. He fell in and took a Michael possessed Adam. He looked over and saw Angela staring quietly. She was holding the last bit of her sandwich in her hand and she was looking downward. He replied, "The field, and then I fell."

Sam was looking at Dean but he looked over to see Angela sitting there. He could tell that she was remembering that day. He remembered it too. He remembered what he did just watching while Lucifer used his body to hurt her. She was oddly quiet and the way she was looking downward at the table. Something was up.

"Okay, and then?" Dean prodded some more. He had to know.

Sam looked at his brother and frowned slightly, "Um… I woke up in the panic room." He gave a slight swallow since he did remember what prompted him to move.

"That's it?" Bobby's voice held the note of skepticism in it. "You really don't remember…?" He frowned trying to make sure that this wasn't a fluke.

"Bobby," Angela said softly.

"Let's be glad," Dean's voice drowned out her plea. "Who wants to remember all that hell?"

Bobby looked at Dean like he was going to do something stupid. He then looked at Angela. She had put down the last bit of her sandwich and pushed it away. When she lost her appetite that usually wasn't good. He prayed that nothing too bad would happen.

The question was an attempt at being lighthearted and Sam responded in kind, "Well, how long was I gone?"

"A year and a half," Angela replied as she ran her finger along the table.

Sam felt his face constrict into surprise and maybe panic. "What?"

"You were downstairs for a year and a half," Dean repeated Angela's answer.

Sam looked downward as he tried to contemplate it. He frowned as he said, "I don't remember anything. How did I get back? Was it Cas?"

Dean thought about how to answer that and decided on, "Not exactly." He glanced at Angela.

Sam knew that it spelled trouble. He saw the look Dean gave Angela and then saw her expression. She wasn't looking at either of them but he knew that posture well. He looked at Dean and demanded, "Dean, what did you do?"

"It's not like that, Sam," Angela said as she looked up. When she had Sam's attention she said, "I did do something but nothing about getting out. I… went in."

It took a moment for it to sink in. Sam blinked as it hit what she meant by that. "Angie," he said, trying not to get upset, "What did you do?"

"Sam, calm down," Dean tried to stave off anything that would result in anger and potential fight. "It's…"

"It's as I said," Angela said as she looked Sam in the eye with a firm countenance. "I went into hell. I followed you in after you fell." She paused a moment and thought about something else to say before looking at Sam and saying, "I followed what you asked."

Sam was quiet for a moment. While it was easy to be upset that she had been in hell and it was easy to jump to the conclusions that she followed him into hell to get him out; that would have been breaking the promise she made. Here she was saying she did what he asked. That was a conversation to ask in private since it did feel awkward since they spent the afternoon having really good sex. It more like screwing him and then leaving him high and dry.

Dean watched his brother's reaction. This was a difficult mess to clean up. He should have anticipated that Angela would have said something. This was too big for her to keep to herself and she was one of those people that had to be honest with others especially if she was that intimate with them. He steered the conversation back to him, "Me and Death…"

It worked since Sam's attention was diverted back to Dean. It didn't mean that he had forgotten what Angela had just said. He was just going to table it for now. He looked at Dean, "Death? The horseman?"

Dean gave a calming gesture, "I had leverage. It's done."

That was a relief to hear but Sam knew as well as Dean that bargains made with supernatural beings had a way of screwing you over if you weren't careful. He remembered the whole deal with Bobby's soul and how he got his legs back. Crowley said that it was all in the wording and the way Angela reacted to that had him believing that she knew what he meant full well and it confirmed that she had spent time with the demon in order to learning about deals. He asked Dean, "You sure?"

"It's over," Dean said firmly. He had to drive that point home. True he was going to have a time of it with Angela since she would more likely pounce on him for lying to Sam and the fact that he still had what Death told him before he did the deed. "Slate's wiped."

"Well, isn't this just neat and clean?" Bobby couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. Nothing was ever really free in their world. And he just wasn't as confident as Dean about the state of Sam.

"Yes, it is," Dean agreed as he looked at Bobby, "For once." He kept his gaze on the grizzled hunter, silently asking him to play along with this. Any poking at the details could put a crack in the wall and he wanted to avoid that.

Sam was aware that there was something going on. He noticed it between Dean and Bobby and he could tell that Angela sensed it as well. She had straightened up and shuffled her shoulders like she would when she was nervous about something. He asked, "Is there anything else I should know?"

It was the moment of truth on Dean's part. He knew that what he was going to do was probably going to bite him in the ass but he had to make sure that everything was okay in Sam's noggin. He gave a smile and said, "No. Another beer?"

Sam wasn't too sure but he wasn't going to press. He did have one issue that he could press and that could be done in private. So he went with it, "Uh, yeah."

Dean got up and went to the fridge, "You want another one, Angie?"

"I prefer something red and thick," she said absently, "But yeah."

Dean made a slight face at that. He prayed that he didn't hear what he thought he heard. If he did, that was a first that she mentioned that she wanted blood. While it was a necessity especially if she was sick or hurt, she was often repelled by the idea and resisted heavily. Now… He really was on a tightrope act as he pulled out two fresh ones and tossed one of them at her, grinning when she caught it without looking.

Sam followed his brother before reaching over to grab a couple of chips. Normally he would have eaten something more on the healthy side but it was what was in the cupboard and Haley said that she hadn't gone shopping yet. He had been glad to see the juju witch again and he got the feeling that she and Dean were working things out. That was something that he needed to do with Angela.

He got his chance when Bobby left the house claiming he had work to do and Haley said she would be in the study doing research. It left him alone with Angela and he wrestled with how to speak to her. He couldn't be mad at her since she told him what she had done. Maybe upset that she would put herself through that but not pissed. Still he wanted to clarify on her reasons since he knew she did sometimes twist things to make them sound worse than what they were if only to put blame on her shoulders.

"You made me promise to live."

Sam looked up from the remnants of his last sandwich and looked across the table at Angela. She was looking very sober even though he couldn't quite see her face as she was looking downwards. "I remember saying that," he offered. He was willing to take her lead on the conversation since no doubt it was sensitive on emotional levels. "And I remember making you promise not to do anything to open the cage."

"And I had every intention of following that," Angela replied looking up at him. She put her hands in her lap and clasped her hands together.

"But… why follow me in?"

"You asked me to live, Sam," she replied. "You asked me to live and… for me… living was with you." She swallowed slightly as she continued, "I couldn't let you be there alone and… I remember our promise. Always and forever."

Sam sat back a little. He remembered when they said that to each other. He had his doubts because they were on the last stretch and it was becoming clearer that he was going to have to say yes in order beat the devil. But through all that, she opted to stand by him figuratively and most definitely literally, which she did. That spoke volumes and sighing softly, he reached across the table and held out his hand. He watched as she looked at it a bit hesitant before lifting her own from her lap and putting it into his.

He wrapped his thumb over the top of her fingers and rubbed it along her skin. He moved his hand to hold it more securely and just as gentle. He looked at her and watched her relax slightly. He regretted that he didn't have the time back then to build on their relationship. Now he was getting a second chance. They had a lot to work through to get them comfortable. He rubbed his thumb on her hand, thinking about how to ask what he wanted to know.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well Dean gets a bit of talk with Kess and Sam finds out what happened while he was in hell, the abridged version. Might blow up in Dean's face... Stay tuned for next time on Virgin Eyes...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Angela was hating herself at the moment as she started out the window at the night sky. She hated herself because she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth about what happened in hell. In her mind, Sam deserved to know but she knew where Dean was coming from. She knew his fear about the possibility of the wall in Sam's mind cracking. She knew all too well since she was the one being punished by remembering.

Maybe it was rightly deserved. It was deserved that she remember hell and Sam didn't. She was the one after all that had a list of sins that was probably as long as the Great Wall of China. She was a creature of darkness no matter how you sliced it and to catch a break even if she was working for the light… yeah that was a pipe dream pretty much. She reached up and absently began to rub her neck feeling a tingle of pleasure.

She remembered what Sam had done earlier to that side. Her lip twitched slightly since it felt good but she had to go and screw that up because she couldn't keep it in that she had been in hell with Sam. He had been upset about it since she could see it on his face but he didn't leave or throw her out but rather reached out to her.

"Feeling better now that you got it out of your system?"

Angela shifted and frowned slightly at Haley. "What?"

Haley had been waiting for a chance to talk to Angela. She was like Dean in that she wanted to know if she was okay. True they had spoken a little while Sam was out but they weren't fruitful conversations. She repeated, "Did you get it out of your system?"

"If you mean confessing that I probably did break my promise to Sam by jumping into hell after him… then yes, a little," Angela replied as she studied the witch. "Other than that… I have no idea what you are talking about."

Haley figured that it would come to that. Angela liked to deny knowing things and evade. They were the best tactics to change the subject on things or reinforce the idea that she really didn't know anything. She wasn't going to back down though. She would let Angela know that she had someone that got the idea. She smirked a little as she stood beside Angela and adopted a similar posture. She said, "Oh I've got a pretty good idea and I know you know. You're too astute to let something like this slide. It's not you."

Angela cleared her throat slightly at that. "I really don't know what you are talking about Hale," she repeated, hoping that the witch would take the hint.

"Yes you do," Haley insisted. She turned to look at Angela's profile. "And from my understanding it is perfectly normal."

"Normal?"

"Yeah," Haley replied with a slight look. "Considering that technically you two haven't been intimate in over a year and you've been concerned with nothing but survival… It was like an adrenaline crash."

"Adrenaline crash?" Angela looked at Haley with a raised brow.

"Yeah."

Angela blinked as she stared at Haley. She had to admit that while it felt right at the time, thinking about it… She felt a little dirty about it. And yet it was clear Sam felt the same in terms that it felt right and he was the one trying to keep things sane. "I don't think…"

"Yeah that's where you get hung up," Haley pointed out with a knowing smile. She sobered but kept the conversation light. "Look, it's always going to look… bad when you think about it. I mean really think about it and I know that it sucks even more because you mentioned that you were in hell yourself since it was obvious Sam thought you were topside and you felt the need to but you're scared a little because of the circumstances."

Angela was impressed that Haley could sum things up in a nutshell. She couldn't help but say, "Very introspective."

"Had to learn. I spent my time with a hunter who thought about you both every day and has been dealing with this the best he can." Haley gave a shrug knowing that she was probably making it seem less than what it was but she didn't want the conversation to get too dark. "And I did some reading about certain things." She gestured at her own neck.

Self-conscious at the moment, Angela reached up and touched the love bite Sam left on her neck. She didn't really care that he did that. She actually liked it when he bit her. It just made her red in the face when she actually stopped to think about it and it didn't help that Bobby noticed and asked her if it was a bug bite and Dean couldn't help the grin that said the cat caught the canary. Sam didn't seem to care and he was sporting a couple of bites and maybe a few bruises on his body. She rubbed the area tenderly and replied, "So?"

"Just saying. Here for advice though I think it's more a learn as you go," Haley answered with a shrug. At the look Angela was giving her, she added, "Look, I don't mind. Personally, if you read, it all makes sense."

Angela continued to rub where Sam bit her. She listened as she thought about what Haley was saying. She also thought about the memory that just popped up and she swallowed slightly. Softly she said, "Sam's my mate."

"I figured."

Angela shook her head at that and looked at Haley, "But I can't do that."

"I think it's a done deal since you both…" Haley made a wordless gesture.

"That's what he said," Angela muttered more like a petulant child. When she saw Haley's confused expression she explained, "Morpheus told me."

"Morpheus? The god of dreams and not the guy from the Matrix?"

"Yeah, him." Angela normally would be amused at the expressions people made when they heard she knew people from history or it dawned on them that certain beings did exist like gods. Right now though she was agitated because Haley knew what tortured her. "He explained a few things to me and…" She made a slight sound as she felt a gentle throbbing on her neck and started rubbing right where Sam had bitten her and left his mark. "Feedback," she muttered.

Haley watched Angela and noticed her reaction. What had her surprised was what Angela said. Her eyes widened slightly at that but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. "Let me guess, right now you're feeling what Sam is but it feels painful."

"No," Angela replied as she rubbed the area. She closed her eyes. "Just a feeling. Not pain just…" She shrugged her shoulders and dropped her hand. Realizing Haley was in the room, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "And why are you being nosy?"

"I'm not. I'm concerned," Haley corrected. She put her hands on her hips. "Look I read about the whole mating thing. I had nothing better to do." She took in Angela's stare and could understand why Dean didn't like it. She continued, "Anyway, I just want to make sure you're okay about it and judging by the way you are beating yourself up and what you said… I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk about it."

Angela studied Haley for a moment before replying, "I had my panic attack in hell." She turned away to look at nothing and shook her head slightly. "But, don't you see that I took the choice from Sam? That has always what I've done with both of them. I ask. Give the risks and rewards." She moaned slightly and turned to look out the window. She put a hand to her forehead. "And it sucks because I like it way too much."

Haley chuckled at that last part, "And Sam did too from the looks of it." When Angela turned to face her, she sobered and tried to be reassuring, "Look, you did what thousands of years of evolution of your kind can't get rid of and on some level it works with normal humans did. In all honesty, it is natural and it really is a bastard when it comes to feelings and morality. But I think… I think that if you were to tell Sam and let him think about it, he wouldn't care."

"But I basically forced him into a… marriage," Angela whispered the last part since she didn't want anyone to overhear.

"And he responded," Haley pointed out, "Most chosens don't do that. He did. Kind of says a lot." She studied Angela and said, "Just talk to him about it. I'm sure he noticed the nice sort of tattoo you have on your neck and you've noticed his. He's gonna see it and wonder. Better you tell him."

Angela looked away. She knew that Haley was right. It just bothered her to no end since she essentially made a decision that Sam should have been able to make on his own. He deserved that much in spite of the whole keeping things secrets cause it was for his own good or anybody's own good. She looked at Haley with a heavy lidded look and said in a low voice, "Since when did you become such an authority you witch." She gave a slight smile.

"When I got bored on hunts," Haley replied and allowed, "And I happened to notice the scar on Sam's neck one time. Had me curious."

"Hmm."

Haley knew she wasn't in trouble. Angela wasn't upset with her for knowing and from the looks of things knew she had someone to look to when she wasn't sure of things. She said, "Look, it's late and while you guys can function on three hours at a time, I can't. So… good night."

"Good night," Angela replied as she watched Haley head to the room that she and Dean had been sharing. "Thanks."

Haley left Angela with her thoughts and she made up her mind. They had some time and even if they went back into the game they would still be able to talk. Haley was right in that she felt better now that it was out of her system the… adrenaline crash. She made a face at that as she started towards the stairs to go to her room. Bobby told her that it was still hers and he hadn't touched any of her stuff since he knew how teenage girls were about privacy. It made her laugh and it put a smile on the grizzled hunter's face. She was a selfish bastard.

She left him alone to deal and… She put her hand on the banister at the foot of the stairs and shook her head. Yeah she was going to be paying for this for the rest of her life. She would make it up to the man that was like a father to her in many ways. She relied on him more than she realized and often for things that didn't have it's place in hunting. It was the normal things. Shaking her head, she looked upwards and traced the wood with her fingers before starting up the stairs.

"Turning in?"

Angela turned and looked down to see Sam standing there looking a little lost. Oh yeah. She replied, "Yeah. I'm actually tired. Some moose of a guy gave me my money's worth." She gave a tired smile.

"And you went in all the way," Sam countered. He gave a slight smile and thought about what to say. "So uh… this is… good night I guess."

Angela couldn't resist and reached out and started caressing Sam's hair. Pressing her forehead to his she smiled before giving him a kiss. She knew what she wanted but she wasn't sure of how to ask. Biting the bullet, she reached for Sam's hand and tried to walk up the stairs but couldn't. She turned to look at him and found him with a questioning look.

Sam knew what he wanted but he was determined to be the reasonable adult no matter how much it seemed to annoy him. He did not want her to have regrets or feel bad about anything. He saw the question in her eyes and said, "Do you want to?"

The silent look spoke volumes as she gave him the look that said if she didn't she wouldn't be pulling him by the arm to follow. Then her look shifted as if to ask him if it was what he wanted and she showed it by loosening her grip to give him a chance to walk away. He didn't like that idea at all taking it to mean walk out of her life. He was reasonable to know that she would always give him a choice that involved them. He had his answer from her and he adjusted his grip on her hand and took the first step onto the staircase. He followed her as she held onto his hand, her fingers interlacing with his, and followed her to her room.

* * *

 _"Well now, this is a lovely surprise."_

 _Angela sat up in bed and looked around. Sam was still asleep but he would wake up if she pressured him to. Right now her attention was on the intruder in her room. Her body tensed as she stared at him and her mouth drew into a tight line. She only sat there as he looked at her._

 _Lucifer was grinning at her as he leaned against the wall. He looked like he had been enjoying himself. He was certainly enjoying the fact that she could see him and was giving him a full on glare. He smirked and said, "This I enjoyed."_

 _"This ends," she said._

 _"Oh I don't think that will ever be so," Lucifer said in a mocking tone. "I still have to punish you for what you've done." He stroked his neck with his forefinger._

 _Angela narrowed her eyes angrily at the devil. "No."_

 _"It will happen." Lucifer made a sound as he stood up. He walked towards the door. "I've been generous the last couple of days but in the end…" He paused as he opened the door. He turned to look at her with a knowing look. He continued, "I will have you. This won't ever end."_

 _Angela was out of bed and running towards the door. It slammed shut and latched much like the door of a prison. She turned to see Sam lying on the ground and bloodied. She couldn't even see Adam as she turned back towards the door. It wouldn't budge. She took a couple of steps back._

 _"It won't ever end because you never left."_

 _Angela tried hard to control her breathing. She couldn't panic. What Lucifer said was a lie. This was dream or a hallucination. She couldn't tell for sure at the moment. She took a couple of steps back while staring at the door. She had taken one step when something wrapped around her neck and squeezed. She put her hands up reflexively to try and loosen the tie. All of a sudden it jerked her upwards towards pitch black sky._

Her breaths came out fast and controlled. It was the only thing that betrayed the fact that she had a nightmare. Angela closed her eyes as if to try and squeeze the memory of it out and she laid there in the semidarkness of her room. She kept them closed when she heard the click of the door and the slight creak of a hinge and it was pushed open. She evened out her breathing just as Sam's arm tightened around her waist and felt the warmth at her back.

It had been amusing when they went to bed in that Sam was embarrassed and nervous. He knew that this room was her space. It was especially fun when she stripped in front of him and changed into something comfortable to sleep in. She teased him, saying that it was nothing he hadn't seen before. It surprised her since she was just as bashful. Yet since they started being intimate, it didn't seem to matter anymore. And Sam relaxed after a few minutes and got into bed with her.

She probably made him nervous when she turned over and cuddled into his side. He didn't react that way though. He waited and then curled his arms around her. Like he had done it before. She tried to recall such a moment and nothing came to mind except when she woke up curled against him when she had been recovering from serious injury but that was different. In the end, it didn't matter and she went with it.

Lying there, she opened her eyes after the door clicked shut and took a couple of breaths. She wanted to go back to sleep but she couldn't. That dream of Lucifer bothered her. True she anticipated something like that. She had nightmares after her last time in hell and it was made worse since she was detoxing from the demon blood. It led to many a sleepless nights. The nights she did sleep it was poorly and it took its toll.

Deciding it wasn't worth it to try and go back to sleep, she gently removed Sam's arm from her waist and sat up, on the edge. She turned to see the lightened sky getting lighter. Might as well get the day started. She would let Sam sleep. Making her decision, she stood up and got dressed. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard noises. She recognized them after years of doing the same thing. Someone was getting ready to head out on a job.

Narrowing her eyes, she quietly walked down the stairs and through the house to determine who was going and where. She heard Dean's voice murmuring and Bobby's gravelly tone replying. She paused in Bobby's study and looked around. It was then she found the article. She vaguely heard Bobby murmuring about it the other day. She read it and thought about it when she heard the Impala's trunk being opened.

One thing that seemed to be better than ever besides her sense of smell was her hearing. She had been able to listen to the sounds in the panic room and sort them out before getting comfortable enough to leave Sam alone while he was unconscious. She could tell who was coming by their footsteps if she wasn't paying attention with her nose. When put together she could take multiple courses of action to defend herself. It was why she was jumpy the first few days. She still had a ways to go but it was under control for the most part.

Looking at the article and hearing the noise, she sighed and made up her mind to ask what was going on. If it was a job, she would like to go. It would help and it would let her 'get it out of her system' as the saying went. She did feel like hitting something and the dream had her tense and ready to fight. She put the article down and headed outside.

She found the Impala with the trunk open. She gave a tentative sniff or two when she heard gravel cracking from boots. She straightened up and moved to be in a position where she had some advantage. She waited until Dean got close to the car before she pounced, "What are you doing?"

Dean, for his part, held up pretty well with her surprises. She liked popping out like that to tease him and she always tried to make sure she didn't do anything that would be regretful with that. He jumped like he did when surprised but recovered quickly and replied, "Nothing overly important."

Angela gave a slight smile, "Meaning you got a job."

"Maybe."

Angela sighed and followed Dean back to one of Bobby's supply sheds. "Dean, don't try to lie to me about a job. I found the article."

Dean paused and turned to look at her. "Okay it's a job. But you're not going."

"The hell I am," Angela replied more from force of habit than outward defiance. "Since when did you start deciding what I can and can't do?"

"Since you got back, okay?" Dean held a surprisingly even tone as he gave his reply. He took in Angela's stance and added, "Look, you just got back from hell and I'm not stupid but I know Death didn't help you like he did Sam. You don't have a wall. You remember hell."

"Yeah I do. And I remember all the other times I've been." Angela pressed her lips in a thin line trying to control her temper. "I remember the first time Alistair cut me and the exact words he said to me when he did it." She stared at Dean some more, taking the time to catch her breath and keep her tone even like his. "So don't use this as an excuse. Please don't."

Dean stared back and took in Angela's expression before sighing, "Angie, can't you just stay? You know, enjoy being with Sam." He looked at her with a pained expression as he said it before heading to grab the last of the gear.

"And I enjoy all of us together," Angela pointed out. She sighed as she relaxed her shoulders. "I know what you're trying to do and… I appreciate it but…" She looked away and then back. "I need to do something. It will help and from what I gathered, you might need some help."

"I've got Bobby."

Angela stared at Dean with a raised brow, "And Hale?"

Dean made a face. He had it planned out and Haley had accepted it. Now it seemed it was going to change. "Okay, maybe it's something since the guys were found… you know. But Bobby and I got this." He walked towards he walked towards the Impala. He put the gear in the trunk and shut it just as Bobby came out with one last bag.

"Sam and Angie still asleep."

"Sam yes," Angela replied. She waited until Bobby looked at her before adding, "Me… wide awake."

Bobby looked at Dean and asked, "So…"

"Letting Sam rest. We'll call him and Angie later." Dean shot a look at Angela that said she was staying and that was the end of it.

"Call me from where?"

Angela wasn't surprised. She had sensed Sam the moment he stepped outside. She spared him a glance and a smile before facing Dean and Bobby, leaving them to figure out what they were going to do. It was fun to watch Dean try to talk himself out of things and even more so when Bobby tried to pull the wool over her eyes.

"Oh," Dean started, "There's this thing in Oregon."

"Great. I'm in," Sam said, not bothering to hear the rest.

"Whoa," Dean held his hands up slightly. He looked to Angela for help but she wasn't giving him any. "You just got vertical with a little extra."

"Exactly," Sam replied wondering why Dean was putting up a fuss. "I'm up. I'm good. We're good." He gestured at Angela to make a point.

"A few more days of crap cable couldn't hurt," Dean pointed out while mentally adding something about doing other activities that shamed crap cable.

"Right, because that's what you did when you got back from hell."

Dean knew he was beat but he was hoping that Angela would back him up. He knew she was concerned about Sam as much as he was. He made a silent gesture for help.

"Don't look at me," Angela said with a slight chuckle. "He's got a point and I was the one that had to put up with you." She leaned forward with a slight grin, "And I did have a couple of laughs."

Dean made a slight face. He knew she had been witness to him being completely shit faced with the alcohol and his ramblings. But she had also been there when he had the tough times. She knew the score. He nodded, "All right, you, me, Angie and Bobby."

"Nah, you three go on ahead," Bobby said, "I, uh, forgot I promised that idjit Rufus I'd work the phones for him so…"

Angela raised her brow at Bobby. She sensed there was something bubbling under the surface with that one. "You sure?"

Bobby squirmed slightly under that look of concern she was giving. He covered, "Yeah. You three got this. Go on and enjoy catching up." He started to walk past Sam and added in a mutter, "And try to keep it decent you two."

Angela felt her skin flush and she noticed the slight blush Sam got when she followed Bobby's move back to the house and past the three dogs. "One part age and three parts liquor," she said with a raised brow.

* * *

 **A/N:** Angie sort of has it out of her system and she and Haley talk about a few things. Then Sam wants to go on a job. Stay tuned for more Virgin Eyes...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Portland was a nice town from Angela's point of view. She thought Oregon was a nice state anyway. She remembered the people of Ellis. They were friendly and she remembered laughing at the joke that was meant with the motel Hell's Outhouse. And it was lush and green. A stark contrast to what she saw in the pit. True Lucifer and Michael did give the illusion of living greenery but it wasn't the same.

Surveying the town, she started walking, checking out the town and the area where the plane went down. She wanted to make sure that it wasn't the one thing that would drive the pups crazy, which was why she borrowed Moira. Zeppelin was with Sam and Dean as they went to interview the missing girl's, Penny, family.

She could have gone on the interviews but she wasn't comfortable with it and she was still trying to get used to the change in her appearance. It also didn't help that her suit was a little two big. It hung on her like a limp noodle revealing that she had lost weight but she did make up for it in muscle. She was well toned and Sam had plenty to say on it. So rather than look rumpled, she offered to check out the abduction places.

It would work since she could wear casual and still look professional. Moira was introduced as her canine partner and most people took it at face value and didn't question it. It also helped that Moira was well trained to behave like a working dog. Well, technically she was. She was a Wilder harridan. She tracked the creatures of the supernatural and was the one that could go into berserker rage meaning she kept at it until she was literally bleeding to death and even then she would die fighting. And she hid that all under that sweet exterior that had Dean call her a sissy mutt.

Angela rubbed Moira's ears as they came across the crash site. Even though most of the debris evidence was collected and the plane was in the process of getting moved for further analysis, there was still plenty for her to look through. She flashed her federal credentials and was granted access. She gave a silent thanks to the friends she had in high places that made it easy for her to get into otherwise restricted access.

Studying the crash she followed the trail of destruction and could actually visualize the crash. She pulled out the copies of the photos she managed to get from the investigators and the ME's office. It wasn't too hard to get them and she knew that Sam and Dean would appreciate the effort. It was worth seeing what happened to the guy named Stan even though the sight made her want to hurl. Too much of a reminder of hell.

Looking at the pictures and the copy of the crime scene map she walked over to a spot. "Okay so taking into account loss of pressure, rate of descent…" She looked up at the sky and then followed the trail that was blazed.

She was stumped as well. What would want to take a girl but kill the guy? She figured the girl was just missing and not dead. The absence of a body was the proof. Even a shifter left behind some trace even though they killed their victims when they assumed their shape. She wished she was in the air at the point of impact only because she wanted to sniff the air. It was a weird thought but she thought that it would help. Instead, she walked over to where they found the larger chunks of the plain wreckage.

Moira followed on the length of leash that was allowed. She sniffed the debris and the ground, looking for anything that would resemble the most likely culprit. She daintily stepped over the debris and sniffed whatever they found. She whined when she couldn't get a scent.

"Not smelling sulfur either huh," Angela said as she kneeled beside Moira. She rubbed her hands over the dog's head and shoulders, telling her she was doing a good job. "I'm getting that too, girl." She looked around trying to think of something else.

The wind started to pick up a little bit, causing her hair to blow gently. It also caused something else to blow her way too. It hit her nostrils and her eyes widened slightly. Moira tugged on her leash at the same time. Angela put her had on the dog's shoulders as she shifted in the direction the wind was blowing from and took in a deep breath.

She caught it again and focused on it. She had never smelled this scent before. It was new and it caused Angela to frown as she tried to puzzle it out. Moira tugged on her leash and Angela looked to see the pup heading in the direction the scent was coming from. Standing up, she followed, letting Moira take the lead even though she was smelling the same thing. She glanced behind her to make sure no one was going to disturb her before being distracted by Moira's bark. She turned back and asked, "You found something, girl?"

Moira barked and turned to lead the way. Angela smiled and continued to follow. She was glad she had one of the dogs with her. She felt bad leaving Xander behind but she was concerned about Bobby and the mutt picked up on it and reassured her he would look after him. Something was up with that and she suspected Dean didn't give her a few details about what happened the year and a half she had been gone. Besides, Sam was insistent she take at least one of the dogs and practically ordered Moira to go with her. While it would normally annoy her, she was touched and she didn't blame either brother.

Angela managed to catch up with Moira where she was pawing at the dirt. That meant she had a hit. Kneeling by the dog, she gave her a pat and told her she did a good job. That warranted some play time later and she would remember to include Zeppelin in the play time too. She started sifting the dirt, looking for anything that was producing the scent she was puzzled about. It had her curious since it was far from the beaten path of the wreck but…

She finally hit gold and brushed away the dirt. She frowned as she touched what was lying in the dirt. She wasn't sure what to make of it and it didn't look like anything that would come from a little plane. Gently she picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand and studied it. First things first was the rule as she lifted it to her nose to get a good sniff.

It was a definite that it wasn't a demon. There were no hints of sulfur and her biggest clue was that Moira wasn't acting like she was going to rip something to shreds. However, the scent she was picking up was unusual. It didn't smell like anything else she had come across on the job. In fact, she had never smelled this scent before and it was baffling. She frowned at the piece of debris.

It smelled ash like mixed in with something else. Angela gave a puzzled frown as she stared at it. She absently ran her thumb along it, feeling the texture. It even felt strange. It reminded her of a lizard or snake but it felt different. She blinked and stared at it, wondering if she was going crazy. She hummed to herself as she fingered the debris and stared at it. She had no idea what it was and a stray thought that lingered would be good enough reason to call the men in the white coats.

Angela stared at it for a time until she felt Moira nose her hand. Looking at the dog, Angela smiled and rubbed her head. "Yeah I know. And I bet Sam and Dean found other things equally strange."

Since there was nothing left to do, Angela straightened up and looked around. Taking care, she put the piece of debris in a bag she had and put it in her jacket pocket. She didn't know why but it was something to think about. And it might come in handy if they had to track and they had a tracker that did pretty well if he wasn't distracted by anything that resembled food. She patted her pocket once it was in there and turned to go. She tugged on Moira's leash, "Come on. There's nothing more we can do here."

 _You think so?_

Angela had taken a couple of steps when she heard it. She paused and looked around. She took a breath as she moved her head slightly to listen to what was going on. Hearing nothing but the wind, she made a slight sound before turning to head back to the motel they were staying at. She frowned as she put her hands in her coat pocket. That had been totally random and she should probably let it go but something told her to not let it go completely and she wasn't going to. She just wasn't going to make a deal of it since it was more like she was hearing things.

She and Moira made it back to the motel to find Sam busy on his laptop with research on the case. She unclipped the leash and watched as Moira trotted over to her brother and started washing his ears. She chuckled slightly since it was cute.

"Find anything?"

Angela finished taking off her jacket, making sure the piece of debris was hidden in her pocket. She still wasn't sure about it and didn't want to bring it up if it was nothing. She adjusted her top since it was a little floppy and had a tendency to reveal skin like a shoulder and bra strap. She wished she hadn't listened to Haley before leaving the salvage yard. At least her scarf helped a little. "Nothing that we don't already know. And I can tell you that it's not a demon."

Sam looked up from his laptop to see that her shirt had slipped to reveal her shoulder again. He knew it was the style and it went well since her hair was down and naturally curling and wearing skinny jeans. But it was driving him crazy. At least it was her right shoulder. "Okay, so… any idea what it might be?"

Angela walked over to her bag and pulled out her chakram. It needed to be cleaned and it was something to do since Sam had the research going pretty well. She sat down near him and said, "No, not any clear idea." She looked at him and added, "The nose doesn't really lie for me."

"Then I guess…" Sam looked at his laptop. He glanced up and smiled at her as she started cleaning her weapon.

It was companionable silence until Dean came in with food. To Angela he looked a bit surprised that she and Sam were just sitting there and working. It seemed he had been more scarred by the whole thing with Sam saying hi and then bye and then… She smiled at him and said, "Nice to see you again."

Dean, for his part tried not to react to the fact that his brother and his practically sister were behaving like everything was normal. In fact, it look like they had never left. It was something they would do to pass time and get ready to go kill whatever it was they were killing. He made a slight face at Angela and asked Sam, "What do you got?"

"Well," Sam began after making a slight sound, not sure of what to say. He had waited until everyone was there to give what he found. "Looks like those other two missing girls both baked cookies for the Lord."

"What is that code?" Dean raised his brow.

Angela merely snickered. It was always fun when they didn't quite understand things. "No," she replied with a smile, "Something else entirely."

"Yeah," Sam added, "Church choir, bake sales, uh promise ring clubs… the works. They were good girls. But Penny wasn't even a Christian so…"

Angela raised her brow at that. A thought started to make its way through her mind when Dean said, "I have another theory," and produced a book. "Penny's diary."

Angela had to hand it to Dean for thinking that. She didn't think much of the fact that Sam asked if Dean stole it and Dean responded liking it. Instead she earned a face from Sam when she said, "Nice. A treasure trove."

Dean grinned at that and continued, "What if it's not about religion? What if it's about purity?"

Sam looked at Dean like he was insane, "You mean you think they're all…"

"Virgins, Sam. Virgins."

"Penny was twenty-two."

"Yeah, with a pink room," Dean said as he took a seat. "And stuffed teddy bears."

"And I'm over five hundred," Angela pointed out as she watched Sam and Dean go back and forth. At the look she got, she added, "What? I was one for five hundred years. Until a year or so ago." She gave a slight shrug.

It was quiet for a moment as both Winchesters tried to process what she said. Dean was more shocked and ready to say something about indecent exposure. Sam was a bit red in the face but it was gone as he gave a slight shrug to acknowledge that point. Finally Sam conceded, "Fine, but you really think…?"

Angela ended up giggling when Dean read the passage that was a big clue and couldn't help but say, "Now that is pretty obvious even if it was a bit creepy coming from you Dean." She grinned cheekily at the man as she finished giving a final rubdown of her chakram.

"So who would want virgins?" Sam asked.

"You got me. I prefer ladies with experience," Dean replied with a grin.

* * *

"You know this is my line. Me staying out and looking at the sky."

Dean shifted to see Angela approaching him. He replied, "Thought I'd let you get it out of your system."

Angela pulled a face at Dean. She joined him and put her hands behind her back. "Dean… I don't know how to talk about it since I really don't know what to say."

"I can say that I am completely stunned," Dean countered. He turned to look at her and continued, "I mean all the times I've teased Sam… that took the cake." He then grinned that boyish grin of his and asked, "So… any playback?"

"Isn't that a thing men do?"

"Come on Angie."

"Ask Sam if you're so nosy," Angela replied with a smile. "Ladies may gossip but we never divulge pillow talk." She grinned as she twisted at her waist to look like a little girl. "And if Sam is being Sam, he'll tell you to mind your own business."

"You two double team me too much."

"And you love it."

Dean hummed at that as he smiled. He looked upwards and sighed. "I'm glad you're back Angie." He shifted and looked at her. "Both of you."

"Well, technically you did have Sam before me…"

"Yeah and you know the score with that and…" Dean cleared his throat. He could ask her to not say anything but she seemed to pick up the gist of that.

"I know," Angela replied. She looked upwards and sighed. She rotated her shoulders slightly to relax them. "I won't say anything about my memories of hell and what happened but if he asks…" She looked at Dean. "I won't lie to him."

Dean figured that she would say that. He nodded at that. Honesty was her thing and in most cases her word was bond. It held more weight in anything when it came to asking for favors and the like. It was bad enough that she remembered and Sam didn't and it didn't seem fair. "Okay," he said.

Angela studied Dean. Her expression became pensive as she studied his facial features. She asked, "So… did you do as you promised?"

"Huh?"

"What you promised? Try to live a life?"

Dean looked at Angela. He had a similar conversation with Sam in the car on the way to Oregon. She had been asleep in the back though he assumed she was pretending. She always seemed to be awake for those conversations. Now it seemed that he was mistaken. "Thought you heard all that."

"I was asleep."

"Yeah I'm figuring that out." Dean put his hands on his hips and sighed. "I did. For a year with Hale."

Angela smiled at Dean, "That's wonderful."

"Don't get all happy just yet," Dean countered, "We did try and it really wasn't normal like apple pie normal."

"Never thought it would be." At the look Dean was giving her, she explained, "I knew that you wouldn't ask Haley to stop being what she is and she's too much of a scholar to stop learning what she can."

Dean narrowed his eyes playfully at Angela, "You set us up on purpose, didn't you?"

"No, that was all you," Angela replied with a smile and a slight laugh. "You were the one that decided to take a chance and with a witch no less." She sobered slightly but was still smiling, "Goes to show that we all aren't what we seem, huh?"

"Yeah."

It was quiet for a time as they stood side by side. It was a comfortable silence as they acknowledged that they tried various things and it either worked out or it didn't. It prompted Dean to say, "We bought a house and Hale opened up a bookstore."

Angela smirked at that but it was a full blown genuine smile, "Now that is going normal."

"Well it was nice and…" Dean blushed slightly. "Felt good."

"It worked out and is still working out despite what happened with Sam," Angela finished with a knowing smile. She wasn't upset at what Sam had done. Bothered by it, sure, but there was no use dwelling on it when she knew him and his brother as well as she did. "I heard the promise of pie when we got back."

"She had a date with her witch friends and she's learning new stuff," Dean retorted defensively. "And I'm not stopping her. It's who she is. Makes her better than some of those witch bitches."

Angela was chuckling from her throat as she watched Dean start to pout. She missed that. "No harm no foul on that account. It'll be nice to have a place to go to and corner your witch." She gave a saucy look at Dean when he realize she knew about the game he played with Haley.

"Is this payback for teasing you and Sam?"

"For future teasing."

Dean scowled at that, knowing that he'd been had. It didn't last long since he smiled slightly. He had missed this. Now if only he could let go with Sam and the great wall inside his noggin. He put his hands on his hips and stared out at nothing, trying to think of something to say.

"You don't have to tell me anything. I know you're worried about Sam," Angela offered softly. "I am too. Course that is like a 24/7 thing with the both of you."

"More like a mom."

"I was one… sort of."

They both shared a laugh at that. It was Dean that said, "And me and Sam were like two men and a baby with you. But it wasn't all bad."

"I was horrible when I was actually four so I highly doubt that."

"Really," Dean countered with a serious expression on his face. "It wasn't bad at all. Made us both think about a few things. I'm just sorry that you don't remember much of it." He let out a scoffing laugh. "Funny how you remember hell but you can't remember the good times."

Angela felt her lip twitch slightly. She did feel that she missed out on a lot and it seemed to make a strong impact on the three most important men in her lives. She long ago accepted the fact that she might not ever remember and that it was lost forever. "It's still nice to hear your memories," she offered. "It makes the memory of hell easier."

"But you of all people don't deserve it, Angie. No one who is a good person does."

"Nice of you to think that way."

"I mean it. Sam is right. You are a good person." Dean looked at Angela with a fierce look that said he was serious about his assertion. "You're the best thing to walk into our lives and to be honest… not having you around… it sucked. For both of us."

Angela nodded at that and patted Dean on the shoulder even though she had the urge to grab him in a hug. She suspected that would be more than what he could handle with everything that happened the last few days. She smiled and gave a satisfied sigh at that. It said more than enough to both sides.

Dean studied her, pleased that she was somewhat her normal self. They needed more things that were normal to keep things stable. He knew she was battling with her experiences and there was the issue with Sam… They had to take it one step at a time. After taking a breath, he decided to ask, "So… you decided to do a makeover while you were in hell?"

Angela looked at Dean and saw the grin. He gestured towards her hair and she looked at it, seeing the lightened strands. "You know, I really don't know what happened for it to do that," she replied with a slight frown. "And the funny thing is I can't dye it."

"Why would you want to? Looks good," Dean offered. He had been curious about it but didn't want to bring too much attention to it in case it was a sore spot. It was a little since he had seen the attempts at dying it.

"But not very helpful when coming up with a cover," Angela replied pouting slightly. "I feel like Rogue in X-Men."

"Better looking on you."

Angela gave a mock scowl at Dean. It really wasn't all that bad. Sam liked it but then again he never missed an opportunity to play with her hands or hair. "I guess," she acquiesced. She then gave a shrug of her shoulders, "I guess it's something to get used to."

"More like try to keep it so it attracts Sam and not other guys," Dean pointed out, "Cause I tell ya…" He made a slight face that indicated what he meant.

Angela made a slight sound at that. "And it doesn't help that you tease him so much."

"My duty as big brother."

Angela snorted at that and smiled. Dean chuckled with her. They both knew that certain things wouldn't change but Dean knew that if she asked, he would respect it. He may toe the line and occasionally push it but he would respect it and she did the same to him. He smiled at her and gave a pat to her shoulder saying, "We're family."

* * *

 **A/N:** They get to Oregon and something wants virgins. Angie and Dean have a talk about what is going on. Stay tuned for more Virgin Eyes...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

This couldn't be right. It had to be some sort of a joke. Sam looked up at his brother as he was working on their map posted on the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Angela rubbing her sword again. She was deep in thought herself as she was trying to go through her memories and knowledge of anything that was interested in virgins and gold. He looked back down at his laptop and tried again. There had to be a fluke in there somewhere.

When the same results kept popping up after he tried different ways of entering the specifics, he was at his wit's end. "This can't be possible."

Dean had been marking the abductions trying to see if the patterns might help to identify what it was they were looking for. He heard the exasperated tone and could tell something was frustrating Sam. "Try me."

Sam looked at his brother's back feeling like he was setting himself up for some teasing and replied, "I Googled 'fire,' 'claws,' 'flying,' 'stealing virgins and gold' and it all takes me to the same place."

"Where?"

"World of Warcraft websites," Sam huffed feeling like the universe was against him in this one. He used what the latest victim told him and Dean about her attacker. It had been one of those surprising moments to learn that what she saw may have been a giant bat but they had taken it seriously even though they joked about her being raped by Batman.

They did hit on a gem in that the girl that was attacked wasn't a virgin. Angela had commented when they were outside of the hospital that while some people may shout 'do over' in terms of rituals and supernatural beings, it was more black and white. You were or you weren't and in this case the girl wasn't hence she wasn't taken but her gold ring was. And that was what had Sam trying to figure things out when he revealed what his hits got him.

Dean heard his brother's reply and thought that maybe Sam had screwed up but not intentionally. He turned to look at him. "I don't know what that means."

Sam looked at Dean, surprised that he didn't get it and prompted, "Dragons, dude." At the look he was getting he continued, "See? Told you. Not possible."

Dean thought it was crazy but since they did have weird on their plates. "Actually, it might be."

"How? In what reality?"

Angela had been listening to the entire conversation and thought about it. It made sense and there were a few things she hadn't mentioned before. At the time it hardly seemed relevant. She voiced, "Lord Onigen."

Sam and Dean looked at her and Sam asked, "An Oni demon?"

Angela made a slight face like she was trying to make it sound less than what it was, "Well… He did invent the golden dragon fighting style he taught me and the family crest does have a dragon in it. Also legend says that the family is descendant from dragons."

It was probably the strangest thing to hear but in a way it was a reminder that they had come across strange and unusual before with her. Dean thought about it and nodded, "It has been a strange year. We should get a second opinion."

Sam couldn't help but make a slight exasperated sound when Dean walked over to grab his phone. "Dean…" He gave up when it was clear that the call was being made. He looked at Angela, "Did you really have to encourage this?"

Angela put the tip of her blade on the floor and leaned on it. "Well, it kind of makes sense and then again it doesn't. I really don't know how true that legend is but there were a few things Onigen showed me and they didn't quite fit." She shrugged her shoulders and continued to lean against the hilt.

Sam sighed, knowing that he really couldn't argue against it. After all they had seen strange things and it seemed to increase the moment they met Angela. He gave a nod and studied her as she leaned on her blade. It was then that he noticed that Absolution looked a little different. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was there. It was put on the back burner when Dean got a hold of Bobby and asked, "What do you know about dragons?"

Dean heard Bobby's response and knew that this was sounding crazier by the minute but… He said, "Seriously."

 _Well they're not like the Loch Ness monster, Dean. Dragons aren't real._

Dean rolled his eyes slightly at the response. They were desperate so he asked, "Could you make a few calls?"

 _To who? Hogwarts?_

"Try Christian's family," Angela shouted so that Bobby could hear her. "He's a Dragonov."

Dean turned to look at Angela like she was crazy. He asked, "You got that? Can you humor me?"

 _Fine._

Dean grinned slightly, "You're a gentleman and a scholar."

 _Yeah, yeah. How's Memento doing over there? He caught you in any lies yet?_

"Everything's fine. Sam says hey," Dean replied as smoothly as he could. Sam hadn't caught him yet and Angela knew a few things and said she would tell Sam if he asked. He hung up and stared at his phone for a bit. He knew that he was really toeing a line here and he knew that the lying got them nowhere.

"Everything, okay?"

Dean looked over to see Sam looking at him with concern. He saw Angela sitting with her sword propped against her shoulder and looking at him with that look that encouraged him to come clean but she wasn't going to rat him out if he didn't. He frowned slightly as he replied, "Yeah."

"Bobby say anything?"

"Nope."

Sam stared at Dean as he got up to go do something to fill the time. Something was up with his brother and not just Dean. Bobby had been acting funny as well. He didn't say anything since he figured it was something else but… He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt Angela's hand on his shoulder. He looked up and gave a lopsided smile at her and was rewarded with a gentle massage.

"Hey grab another room for that."

Sam scowled at Dean but calmed down since Angela just massaged his shoulder some more before she went to put Absolution down. He went back to seeing if there was anything other than dragons that could be what they were looking for. He almost didn't notice when she came back with a book as thick as his arm and plopped it on her lap. He watched as she opened it and flipped it to a section and started running her finger along the pages. He asked, "A bit of light reading?"

Angela smirked as she looked at Sam and then at Dean who was looking at the book on her lap. She joked, "Yes. I've read it three times now." She grinned to show that she was teasing.

Sam felt his lip twitch and gave her a smile. Dean said, "Read it through in one go?"

"First read through… about twenty years."

Sam started chuckling since he doubted that and the grin he saw on her face said it all. She always liked to tease Dean about things like that. It certainly made a ghost of a smile appear on his brother's face and it certainly lightened the mood in the room. He asked, "And that was thorough right?"

Angela grinned, "Definitely." She sobered quickly and said, "Actually this is a tome on the Dragonovs, Christian's family. It's an official one. The one that the family approved regarding the history and all that. Fang boy gave me this when we started working jobs together."

"So a history of what?"

"Oh the usual, rise to power and keeping it. Dry as dust." Angela gave a knowing smile before bending over the page to read. "But informative about where the family is from and a few things. There might be something here on dragons."

"Yeah, you said…" Dean made a gesture.

"Dragonov, Dean," Sam said softly. "Implies dragons."

"Oh."

The room fell silent as they went about waiting for a return call from Bobby. After a while, Sam decided to trade places and look through his dad's journal. Angela was still reading the tome but had moved to the couch and stretched her body out and Dean was looking through the articles and checking out the laptop. It was pleasant but it also allowed for thoughts to run rampart and for Dean in particular as he glanced up and Sam thumbing through the pages of the journal and Angela was looking calm. He couldn't help by sigh and closed the laptop, "Dad never wrote anything about dragons. I promise. I'd remember if I read The Neverending Story in there."

Sam heard Dean but something was bothering him. He asked, "Hey, did we hunt a skinwalker lately?" He looked at Dean with a confused expression.

Dean made to look like he was thinking about it but in reality it was hiding the first tendrils of fear. He kept it together as he replied, "Doesn't ring a bell. Why?"

Sam was still frowning and he didn't notice the look that crossed his brother's face nor did he see Angela glance up to study him before going back to her reading but hanging onto every word. He looked at the page in the journal and relied, "I don't know. Just déjà vu or something." He looked downward to think some more but still… "Are you sure? I could have sworn…"

"You got to remember your eggs are still a little scrambled," Dean hurried to cover. He gave a grin to keep it up. "But, yeah. I'm sure."

Sam still wasn't sure about the whole thing but Dean was sure about it and he really didn't want to pester Angela. He knew she remembered hell since she admitted it somewhere in between rounds two and three and nearly freaked out about something he couldn't see. He decided to ignore it for now. "All right. Yeah. Never mind." He went back to looking at the journal.

Dean wasn't too sure and wanted to ask if Sam was okay. He hoped Sam wasn't poking at the wall as Sam was wont to do. It wouldn't bode well. Deciding to say something, he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He had to table it for now. Glancing at Angela and saw that she had lowered her book into her lap and was sitting there looking at him, waiting for him to answer. Picking it up, he answered, "Hey, Bobby. What do you got?"

 _Can't believe she didn't jump right to mind. Dr. Visyak. Medieval Studies, SFU._

"Dr. Visyak, SFU. Got it. Thanks," Dean replied as he wrote the information down. He ended the call and got ready to go. "All right. I'm going to San Francisco, figure out how to kill these things. You figure out where they are." He pointed at Sam.

"Did Bobby say where they like to park?" Sam asked the question accepting that he was staying there.

"No."

Sam sighed at that. "Great. Back to the lore."

"Which says what, that they live in Middle-earth?"

"No," Angela interrupted. "Caves." When Sam and Dean looked at her, she held up the book. "Fang Boy's some odd great-uncle had an interesting story about dragon remains. Unfortunately he wasn't completely right in the head and people thought he was crazy." She stood up to put her book on the table and stretched her shoulders.

"Yeah," Sam added with a cough, "Caves."

Dean had nothing to say about that except, "You both are such nerds."

* * *

Angela ran her finger along the page, feeling the oldness of it. It really was an old tome and had been enchanted to preserve it. It was in the cover. Absently, she flipped the cover over to take a look at it. She recognized the crest of the Dragonov family and fingered it gently. It was raised and she noticed the detail down to the eyes, which had her pause a moment. She peered at what made the eyes of the dragon that was looking out to the world.

She touched them and realized they were glittering jewels. She blinked at that since it looked like it was real. It didn't help that she started hearing whispers again. When she looked at the emblem, it seemed to come alive and she made a slight sound in her throat and blinked again. When she looked again, the emblem was as it was. She ran her fingers around it to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. All of a sudden the emblem popped off and she ended up making a surprised sound followed by, "Uh…"

"You okay?"

Angela blinked at the emblem that was in her hand. She heard Sam and managed to respond, "Um, I'm fine but…" She held up the emblem.

Sam walked over to take a look. He saw where it had been on the cover of her book. He knew that she would never deliberately deface a book and could understand her surprise. "What happened?"

"It just… popped off," Angela looked at it and frowned. "I…"

"Can you fix it?"

Angela looked at Sam with a raised brow, "Not really. Unless you know a sage that is fluent in the Draconis chants of the medieval times and is a member of the Dragonovs here in the state." At Sam's look, she explained, "It's enchanted. More specifically so time doesn't affect it. A protection of sorts."

Sam stared at her and the emblem. "But you didn't break it. You said it popped off."

That made some sense but Angela wasn't comfortable with it. "I know. It's just… Chris gave it to me. He said that one day maybe the Dragonovs could do some good for the Ice Queen destined to save the world." She made it overly dramatic while imitating the vampire that was a good friend. "I just…" She shrugged.

"He won't blame you. He knows you like I do." Sam put his hand over hers to reassure her. He ran his fingers over her hand. He tried to get her mind off it. They could find a way to fix it and he might call the vamp. "So… was there anything else on the lore for… dragons?"

Angela smiled and moved to put the emblem in her pocket. She would worry about it later. "You still think the idea of dragons is impossible?"

Sam made a slight face at that, "Just…"

"You do know we deal in things that are supposed to be impossible."

Sam made a slight sound at that. It turned into a gentle chuckle as he admitted, "Okay. You're right." He turned to go back to the wall with the map and started looking all around for anywhere a dragon may be layered up. He hummed when he felt Angela's arms snake up and hug him from behind. "You know we have work."

Angela hummed as she rested her head on Sam's shoulder. "I know. That's why I'm studying the map."

"Well I got nothing. Nothing for miles that resembles a cave."

Angela looked at the map and thought about caves in particular. "Hmmm. Try less literal. Remember the caves idea was before industrialization. What else is cold, dark and wet?"

Sam thought about it as Angela held him. He looked at the map. "Well there are no subway lines."

"Too noisy," Angela pointed out. She took a deep breath and added, "They'll need privacy of sorts."

Sam hummed as he nodded at that. That made sense. As much as he would like her to give her answer, he knew that she was doing what she always did. She made him or Dean work for it. If they were stuck she would give them a push in the right direction but they still had to do the work of coming to the answer. So he thought about it. The only other thing that was cold, dark and wet and would be a good substitute for a cave, "Sewers."

"See? Knew you were smart," Angela teased as she straightened up. She gave a kiss to Sam's cheek. "Now you have to narrow it down."

"Still making me work?" Sam gave a slight pout knowing that she wasn't going to budge. So he was going to tease her.

"I've been through enough sewers and once got caught in an aqueduct to not want to spend a minute down there longer than necessary. Plus the smell…" Angela wrinkled her nose at the idea of the smells that would be there. She didn't look forward to venturing down there.

"Is it that bad for your nose?" Sam looked at her with concern.

"If it's really bad, yes," Angela admitted, "But don't have time to be squeamish now do we?" She gave a sad smile at that. "Duty calls."

"And you don't have to do it alone." Sam put a hand to her cheek to caress it. He took the time to study her features. He had noticed the change in her hair and did ask her about it. "And… if you need time since you remember…"

Angela smiled at Sam's thoughtfulness. She gently pressed her palm against his mouth to silence him. "I'm fine with the work, Sam. Keeping busy helps."

Sam wasn't too sure but he would follow her lead. He was just worried. He picked up on the fact that she would stare at an area like she was looking at someone but they weren't there. If she was zoned out, she startled too easily and what she did say about hell was bare bones. He got that she wanted to work but he was also noticing that she had been pushing herself hard on this case and she looked tired. He voiced the thought, "You look tired. Why don't you take one of your cat naps? I'll wake you if I need help or when I find anything."

Angela wanted to protest but the idea of sleeping sounded good. "Okay."

Sam was surprised that she didn't protest as usual but he was glad that she was going to take his suggestion and sleep for a while. The other night she seemed a bit restless and she tried to work through it without waking him. He had been awake for a time until she settled back in. He couldn't shake the feeling that she had been awake longer than what he had witnessed. It was why he was reluctant to ask her about the past year in hell. He waited until she was settled onto the couch with Moira half lying on her lap before turning back to narrow down the scope.

It wasn't long before she was sound asleep that Sam picked up his phone. He wasn't going to bother her with this. He dialed the familiar number and waited for the other end to pick up. It gave him time to think about what to say without sounding accusing.

 _Hello._

Sam straightened up and looked over at the couch to make sure she was still asleep, "Hey, Bobby. Uh Dean is visiting your friend and we figured out where the dragon is layered up."

 _That's good Sam._

It was sounding like a kid showing off his prize drawing. Sam knew it sounded silly but he just wanted to know a few things. "Yeah. Um… Bobby?"

 _Yeah._

"You okay?"

 _Yeah of course. Why? What's wrong?_

There was the opening and Sam took it, "Besides the way you've been acting and talking… nothing." He walked over and pulled a chair over to be closer to Angela. He sat in the chair and automatically reached out and stroked her hair. "Is there something I should know? Something wrong with Angie?"

 _No. All you need to worry about is where Godzilla is holed up and how to kill it. Angie will be fine. She just needs time._

Sam looked at Angela. He could buy that but there was something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He gently moved a lock of her hair away from her face and gently brushed her cheek. She didn't wake up but she shifted slightly and actually looked like she was going to get some rest she needed. He focused on the conversation, "Well, Bobby… what happened this last year?"

 _Had its moments. No more than usual. Got nothing to do with you, Sam. How could it?_

"Right. Of course."

 _Call me if you need anything and… let me know how Angie's doing._

Sam was intending to do that anyway. He and Dean both had when she had been sick and her injuries were bad. He was going to say that when Bobby cut him off and he heard the click of the line being hung up. He made a slight sound as he put the phone down.

Bobby said that it had nothing to do with him but Sam had a nagging suspicion that there was something he didn't know and it involved him. It irked a little to think that Dean was keeping something from him and acting liked things were fine. Then that whole thing where he was sure that they had hunted a skinwalker… Something wasn't right and the people he loved and trusted weren't talking. Maybe someone had an answer.

Taking a breath, he closed his eyes and prayed, "Castiel. Um. I'm back, so if you got a minute..."

He looked around and behind him to find no sign of the angel. Angela was still asleep, which was a relief since he had forgotten that she was jumpy. He then heard the flap and turned back around and saw the angel in question.

"Sam."

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay we've got dragons. Dean goes to learn how to kill them and Sam is figuring out where they park. Angie is just amused by it all. Oh and Cas may be spilling the beans. All of this and we have next time on Virgin Eyes...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"You used C4?"

Dean looked at Angela as she stared at him like he had lost his mind, "What was I supposed to do? We needed a blade forged with dragon's blood and the damn thing was stuck in a boulder."

"I don't know," Angela rolled her eyes slightly, "Do something like call me." She narrowed her eyes at Dean. "Since there are less damaging ways."

"Oh yeah, like what?

"Liquid nitrogen in key places, a couple of taps…" Angela put her hands on her hips. "Or I could have pulled it out myself."

"You?"

"I know the story and there are blades that require that."

"Don't tell me you know about Excalibur."

"No," Angela replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. She waited until Dean had a look of relief before saying, "But I did use the blade of St. George once."

Dean made a face as he looked at Angela before she started pacing. He had come back to find her and Sam sitting next to each other like they were discussing the mortgage. They looked like they were in deep discussion when he announced that they had the means of killing the dragon that they were hunting.

Sam was amused that Angela was scolding his brother but also surprised that she really knew her blades. She moaned about the fact that it had been broken and that it was going to take considerable effort to re-forge the blade. It wouldn't surprise him if she knew someone who know someone who had an idea how to fix it. At the moment he was looking at what Dean brought back and it felt like he was holding the demon killing knife. "What are we supposed to do with this, give it a booster shot?"

Dean was already feeling like a kid getting scolded for tracking mud into the house. He looked at Sam and replied, "It's what we got. We just have to get closer. That's all." He took back the blade. "So where are we on the caves?"

Sam decided to be contrary with Dean some more. "Nowhere."

"You're kidding me?" Dean looked at Sam.

"On the other hand," Sam continued as if Dean hadn't interrupted. It was better to do it since he wasn't sure how to address what he learned from Castiel earlier. "Sewers. Check this out." He gestured at the map on the table that showed a layout of the sewer lines. "So two of the disappearances happened within a mile of here," he pointed on the map, "So I figure we start there and work our way around."

"Awesome. Who doesn't love sewers?"

"I for one," Angela answered. She fished the debris out of her jacket. "I found this earlier when I was inspecting the crash site. I didn't think much of it then but it didn't smell like regular debris. I just kept it. So, assuming this is dragon skin, Zep should be able to track it."

"You think it's a good idea to take them down there?" Dean looked at Angela with a raised brow.

"They are Wilders. They are hunter's dogs," she replied in a matter of fact tone.

Dean thought about it for a moment. He knew that they were going to walk into dangerous situations and that was their job. "Ok then. Let's go." He went to grab the gear they would need when he turned to see Sam looking like he had something to say and Angela looking like she was still miffed over the blade. He knew that there was something more to it.

Sam sighed. There was something he wanted to say but decided against it, "Uh nothing. Let's go."

Dean looked at Angela with a wary eye as she leaned over to grab Absolution and sling it over her shoulder while at the same time pick up her newly sharpened chakram and put it on her belt. She had pulled back her hair to make a short braid that acted like a tie. The rest of her hair hung down her back giving her a severe look, like a warrior ready to do battle. He sensed that there was something that Sam wanted to say and a small voice told him that maybe Sam figured out something about the past year.

Angela studied Dean. She was miffed that he damaged a priceless artifact and something that was a rarity. She knew that the dragon blades and specialty blades were rare and treasured. Some were with private collectors and others were secure within the vaults of some of the orders that protected people, the Centurion in particular. She also knew of a few family owned blades that were famous in their own right. She was less annoyed at the fact that Dean left a few things out when he told her what happened the past year and a half. She was annoyed and she was inclined to believe Castiel since that angel sucked at lying. She decided to follow Sam's lead since she sensed he was more annoyed than she was.

Following Sam out the door, she reached out and grabbed his free hand and gave it a squeeze. She just wanted to reassure him and he accepted it. She was prepared to deal with Sam being upset with her since she knew more than he did but he didn't get angry with her. Rather he just… it puzzled her slightly since this was like the time Dean tried to hide the fact that he made a deal to bring Sam back from the dead so long ago. She decided to let Sam explain it and on his own time.

Sam had plenty he wanted to say to Dean about what he learned but he decided that the job came first. They had to save those girls if they were still alive. He grabbed his jacket and some other odds and ends that might help in terms of the usual and a few things that were useful for busting down doors. He didn't expect the hand squeeze from Angela but appreciated it all the same. He wasn't angry that she knew more than he did. He noticed that she seemed annoyed and figured there were a few things that Dean didn't tell her. Besides, he wasn't going to jump down her throat when there were other things to worry about regarding her. It would come later. Now was the job.

They made it to the sewers and set the dogs loose. They were ready and eager to work. Zeppelin especially seemed excited that he was going to do what he was bred for. Dean told the dog to quiet in his gruff way and took the proffered dragon skin that Angela held out to him. He didn't like the idea of touching it but… He made a slight face as he held it in front of Zeppelin's nose and said, "Alright, Zep. Do your thing. Seek."

Zeppelin sniffed the dragon skin and he made a slight snort before starting to track. He led them through the sewers with his sibling behind him to watch his back. Sam, Dean and Angela followed behind them, giving a little leash so that way Zeppelin wouldn't get a false positive. It was slow work since the dog had to pause and sniff a few things when it seemed that the trail was getting cold.

Dean was confident in Zeppelin's abilities but the longer they were there… He knew his dog had a tendency towards redundancy. Yet they kept going down through the sewers and it wasn't in circles. So that was something. Going down a flight of stairs, the smell changed and Dean couldn't stand it, "Oh, God. Just when I get used to a smell, I hit a new flavor." He moved his flashlight around, "Dude, we've been here for hours. There is nothing. I think the lore is off. Hey, what if dragons like nice hotels?"

"Zep still has a hit and is following," Angela pointed out as she looked around. "Like that." She pointed.

Sam followed her finger with his flashlight and frowned, "What is that?"

Dean turned and shown his light and saw Zeppelin sniffing it. He kneeled by the dog and patted him. "Good boy. Here." He pulled a small treat out of his pocket and held it out for the dog. He looked at the horde. "Holy crap." He couldn't help but finger what his dog found and lifted a pretty expensive watch. "Okay, maybe there are dragons here."

Sam looked at the horde and shifted. He heard Moira make a sound and lifted his light to find her. He spotted her and next to something that was… "Wait. Dean, not now. Check this out." He walked forward after glancing at Angela.

Angela followed Sam into a niche that looked like it was a little altar. She took in the candles and other things but what had her attention was a book that Moira was nosing. She took a couple of steps forward and the smell hit her nose. Her eyes flared just as Dean caught up to her and Sam. Sam was the one that commented, "A little arts and crafty for a giant bat, right?"

Angela was looking at the book. The scent was there and it… Her nostrils flared when she shifted and heard it. She silently turned and listened again. She heard something and she shook her head. Not now.

 _Hello? Is someone there?_

That wasn't a figment of her imagination. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and called, "Guys."

Sam and Dean stopped their inspection and turned to see Angela walking away. They paused and that was when they heard something. They saw Angela pause and turn her head as if she was trying to fine tune what she was hearing.

 _Can you help us please?_

"This way," Angela said in that low tone she adopted when she was on the prowl. She hunched low more as a means of keeping herself protected but also ready to spring into action. She signaled Sam and Dean to follow and led the way. She paused every so often to make sure that she wasn't taking them in the wrong direction.

She found a sort of catwalk that went over the piping. She walked straight, not paying attention to what was on the sides of the railing. She took a couple of sniffs and breathed a little. She could smell the girls. They were alive. It was confirmed when Moira pushed forward and started sniffing and whining at the grating.

"Hello? Over here."

She saw a holding pit and it made her chew her lower lip as she kneeled beside Moira and gave her the command to back away. Sam and Dean weren't too far behind so she started looked at the grating as Dean said, "We're gonna get you out."

"He's coming back," one of the girls said in a terrified voice.

Angela looked at the girl and held her hand, giving a reassuring squeeze. "Okay. It's going to be okay," she said in a calm voice. An urgent and panicky voice wasn't what the girls needed. The more calm you were, the more cooperative they would be in terms of helping you enact the escape or any other plan that you needed. "Sam."

"Right." Sam pulled out the crowbar and wedged it underneath to try and pry the grating loose. He became tense when he heard Zeppelin and Moira start to growl their warning growl.

Angela was on her feet and looking around since she heard the growls. She held her hands out ready to fight while leaving Sam and Dean to try and help the girls. It was not an ideal cover but they had the dogs and they were trained. She was just apprehensive about them going against something that left claws and the need for stitches. But she was ready to fight.

The attack came fast and under her guard as the dragon grabbed Sam and tossed him to the side. She wasn't going to let him get away with that and grabbed his wrist. It was probably a foolish move since it was a dragon, just in a human form. She had no idea what the abilities were apart from the fairy tale stories that were told of dragons. Still it was bold and the dragon seemed impressed and tried to strike at her.

It was second nature to engage in hand to hand combat. She blocked and countered the strikes in order to give Dean the chance to pull out the broken dragon blade. She tried a backhand and her wrist was grabbed tightly as the dragon held her fast and pulled her in close to say, "Now you've impressed me but…"

Angela saw the hand start to glow and she felt the heat start to heat through her clothing. She gave a hard kick. It made contact and then tried another but she grabbed and flung away. Angela found her body flying through the air as she went over the railing. She knew the fall could kill her since there was piping and other things down there that could break a body. One such piping was heading straight towards her.

* * *

"Where do you think you're gonna stick that?"

Dean looked at the dragon with a wide eyed expression as he held the broken blade. He had seen Angela go over and didn't hear anything. He stopped the dogs from going after the thing and told them to stay near the girls. He waited until the dragon lunged towards him and slashed at him. He blinked as he realized that it actually worked in cutting the thing.

"Where did you get that?"

"Comic Con," Dean answered with slight smug expression before trying to strike again.

The dragon was ready for it and knocked the blade away leaving Dean without a weapon. The dragon held up his hand to let his power show, revealing a glowing hand that seemed to sizzle but it wasn't burning. He advanced towards Dean with the intent to kill.

Dean backed up and glanced to determine where the blade had fallen. He had to get the weapon back but not when he was being chased like this. He didn't like what would happen if that hand touched him. He did see Sam come up from behind with the intent to hit the dragon with the crowbar and that would give him a chance. It was short lived when Sam was grabbed from behind by another dragon and flung aside.

The other dragon turned slightly to see what was happening and then turned back towards Dean. He grinned and Dean could help but hold his breath. Then it came. A war cry that Dean thought that he would never hear again and the dragon got a kick in the face to allow for Angela to land on the grating and pull her sword out and twirl it into position. She looked at the dragon and asked, "Missed me?"

That allowed Dean to try and get the broken blade. He glanced at Angela as she attacked the dragon. She gave him a hard kick to the chest and sent him flying backwards just as Dean was grabbed by a third dragon just as his fingers brushed the pommel of the blade. Dean found himself being flung down the walkway. It gave him a good view of what was going on with Sam as he backed away from the dragon that was pursuing him.

Sam had managed to get a couple of hits with the crowbar on the dragon knowing that it wouldn't do much but maybe slow it down. It didn't help when the dragon grabbed the crowbar with a glowing hand. He watched as the iron heated up and started getting lower and lower towards his hands with the intention to burn them off.

Sam tried to keep his grip on as long as possible but it proved futile the moment it got too low. He let go because of the heat and shook his hand since they were slightly burned. He saw the other hand of the dragon raised like it was going to strike him when all of a sudden it flew backwards. He shifted to see Angela advancing with her hand extended forward.

"Sam, get the blade," Angela said as she turned her attention to the now two dragons that were facing her. She would hold them off as long as necessary.

The two dragons looked at her and grinned thinking that she was just a little girl that decided to play with swords. The started their attack and that was when Angela let them know she was serious. Her eyes flared to indicate that she wasn't a human and moved forward. She swung at the two dragons but they ducked and tried to strike with their red hot claws.

Angela blocked and countered with punches and kicks, holding them off while Sam was trying to reach the blade. It was barely within reach but it was at an awkward angle that he had to stretch to get it. It slipped a little and he cursed. He looked up to see Angela standing back and reaching in her pocket. He had no idea what she was doing but the grin on her face and her flaring eyes told him that she was enjoying the fight. He turned to see Dean evading the burning claws of the third dragon. He redoubled his efforts to try and grab it.

"And what have you got there?"

Angela grinned as she pulled back while reaching into her pocket. She had no idea what she was going to do but she did always keep a few useful things in her pockets that were pretty effective against the supernatural. Her hand closed around something and when she pulled it out, she realized it was the crest of the Dragonov family. She had no idea how useful it would be but she thought maybe they might recognize one of the legendary dragon hunter families, if the tome was anything to go by. She held it out for them to see.

One of the dragons stepped back and pointed at her, "You're one of them? A Dragon Hunter?"

"Not really. Had a friend who taught me," Angela grinned more to be funny and stretching the truth a bit. Christian did teach her a few things but he never really confirmed that part of the Dragonov family history and he was never on good terms with them anyway even now as one of three potential successors to the family.

It was helpful that the dragons were familiar with the crest since it gave breathing room but that was about it since the one Dean initially cut wasn't inclined to pull punches and lunged at her. She managed to block the initial volley but ended up getting a hard punch that sent her flying backwards where she landed on the catwalk near Sam. With the momentum she managed to somersault back to a standing position and said, "Hurry up Sam."

"I'm trying," Sam replied as he stretched, his fingers barely brushing the pommel. He moved his fingers to get around the rounded edge.

Meanwhile, Angela leaned forward. She was still clutching the crest in one hand and her sword in the other. She looked at the advancing dragon thinking how best to get close enough to kill it. She knew that she was dancing on a fool's hope but she was determined to see the thing dead. It was then that she got the idea.

She wasn't sure about why she was doing it but it seemed to make sense. She looked at the crest and said an incantation that she had no idea where it came from. It was like she knew it and the glittery jewels in the eyes flickered and lit up. Keeping her eye on the advancing dragon she held it and put it close to where the blade met the hilt on Absolution.

It was like a powerful magnet caught hold of it and it pulled the crest from her hand and attached itself to the blade. Glancing at Absolution, she saw the elegant scrollwork in the engraving start to glow and it felt like there was some extra power in there. She didn't care though since the dragon lunged forward. She backed up and pivoted to lunge forward. She went on the offensive and started swinging at the two dragons and it felt like she had been given a boost in speed. That was all irrelevant at the moment.

At one point she landed in between the dragons and had them down and heaving. She hadn't killed them but had worn them down. She looked at the leader and looked at the injury Dean had caused. She gave a narrowed look as he stared at her and mocked, "You think you're going to kill us with that pig sticker?"

Angela merely glowered. It was then that she heard it. Taking a step and whirling around, she blocked the blow that the other dragon was intending. With a twirl and a hard backward thrust, she shoved Absolution through the dragon, maintaining a strong stance, just as Sam shoved the broken blade through the back of the other dragon that was almost on Dean.

The dragon stared at Angela and watched as the brother she stabbed died. It was clear when the light started leeching out. She pulled the blade back out and brought it forward. He could see the dragon's blood on it and the crest of the Dragonov's but what held his attention was the scarf around her neck.

A slight breeze had flipped it and it gave an almost dramatic look to her posture. The dragon paused and his eyes widened when he saw it. He didn't think that it was possible. He took a step backwards and noticed the other one with the broken blade had turned to face him. He had to get out of there. He looked at Angela and said something in his language before taking off in a powerful gale of wind.

Angela kept a narrowed look as the wind whipped around and the dragon disappeared. She straightened up. She looked at Absolution and noticed that it looked different. She frowned when she saw that the crest had all but disappeared. It had become a part of the hilt and added a nice contrast of gold and silver and she could see the eyes of the dragon that had become part of the decoration. What did she do now?

There wasn't time to actually explore that. She turned to see Sam holding the broken dragon's blade and saw the two dragon bodies on the ground. Dean was okay and not too banged up. She looked at Sam and raised a brow, managing to say, "I guess this means you're a dragon slayer now?"

Sam looked at Angela and made a slight face, "Don't start."

"Just saying. It is in the book," she teased. She looked around and twirled her blade before putting it back in the sheath. She would have to look at it later. Right now they needed to get the girls out. She walked over to the grate and asked, "Everyone all right?"

The girls were shocked since they had seen the whole thing from what they could. There had been no way to shield them from it and it wasn't like it was unfamiliar. They saw a dragon take them in its true form. Still it was a kindness to try and minimize it. They stared up at the woman that had taken on two of them and… they weren't sure exactly what happened. One of them answered, "We're okay."

Angela studied them. She knew that they would be in shock from this. Maybe they might forget and maybe they won't. It was sort of a mean fifty- fifty chance with it. She reached over and petted Moira and acknowledge her and Zeppelin saying they had done well. All in all they had done a pretty good job. They managed to save all the girls that had been taken and could return them.

She waited until Sam got the crowbar and wedged it under before stepping back to let Dean in. She looked around and took a couple of breaths. She was glad that this fight was over and it was a good day in terms of saving people. She was irked that the one dragon got away. She looked around the room as she thought about what it said until she heard the snap and the creak to open the grate. She turned and then started helping get the girls out.

* * *

 **A/N:** Dean gets a blade forged with dragon's blood and the trio go to slay dragons. Looks like things brought in a surprise or two and Sam killed a dragon! Stay tuned for the conclusion of Virgin Eyes...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It had been a good hunt in that they killed the monster and saved the girls. For Dean though, he had extra reason to be grinning. And he was looking at it. He picked up a watch from the pile of loot that he had extracted from the stash and started looking at it. He played with the dial to start adjusting the time.

It was real gold as well as the other stuff that the dragons had collected. The lore hadn't been wrong when it came to the whole thing about gold being horded by them. It sounded so Lord of the Rings and yet… it was a reality. And it felt pretty good to get in on their stash.

Having been raised in the hunting business, Dean was used to the not having a whole lot of money on hand and reduced to hustling to have enough cash to get them through in terms of the basic necessities. To have a sudden windfall of something that was worth money, it was well a blessing if you want to call it that. It was something to make life easier. He just couldn't help himself.

He got his chance to flaunt it when he heard Sam approach him. He grinned and asked, "Hey Sam. Ask me what time it is."

Sam stared at his brother sitting in front of the pile of loot they recovered from Oregon. Once they had gotten the girls freed and directed them out, Dean went back to get the stash the dragons had. Sam didn't stop him since he saw the practical side of it. Instead, he went and grabbed the book they had found at that weird altar. He figured that Bobby might be able to figure out a few things with it and maybe translate what the dragons were up to.

Seeing his brother with the gold stash, Sam couldn't help it, "Why don't you cut to the chase and just roll in it?"

"I rarely have wealth," Dean countered as he put the watch back in the bag. "Besides… Angie already said that I was like a dragon. She caught me."

Sam couldn't help but chuckle at that. He knew that Angela would be teasing Dean about it. She would find it amusing and he was sure that Dean forgot that she was wealthy herself. Hell he did when he didn't think about it and that was often unless something brought it to his attention. He knew that Angela would use the money but preferred to pretend that it didn't exist. She simply didn't acknowledge it. It was what she did even when she gave very generous offers to people like fixing an entire car or paying for the parts for Deanna in at cost and then some.

Truth be told, Sam didn't care about that and as far as he was concerned, she could do whatever she wanted to with it. It had come in handy when they needed to make a few big purchases. Some for some rare stuff for Bobby's spell pantry. And her forging and casting stuff… that was expensive. Watching Dean play with their stash had Sam thinking. He knew it was time to discuss what Castiel had told him.

Taking a breath, he sat across from Dean. "Dean."

"Yeah?"

Sam struggled for the words to say. He didn't want to fight his brother or cause trouble but… "I am so… so sorry. I can't even begin to say."

Dean looked up the moment he heard Sam's apology. It had him suspicious and he diverted his full attention to what his brother was saying. He asked, "For what?"

Sam looked at Dean and replied, "You know what." He gave his brother a knowing look.

Dean realized at that moment that Sam knew everything that had happened. This was what he wanted to avoid. Now he was going to have to face it and to make sure that Sam understood that Angela had nothing to do with it. It was always important that Sam got the full picture with her to him. Part of it was because of what happened in Ruby Valley and the other part was that what was going on between Sam and Angela was very real. The side benefit was a constant source of entertainment but there was something there that… Looking at Sam he asked, "Did Bobby..?"

"Cas," Sam answered the question.

Dean understood now. "Cas. Frigging child. Worse than Angie with emotions."

Sam took the quiet tone and said, "You should have told me."

Dean protested, aware that Sam was trying not to start a fight with this, "You weren't supposed to know."

"What I did? To Bobby? To you? Angie? Haley? Of course I should know," Sam insisted a little heated. He felt like clenching something in his fists.

Dean felt the need to explain, "Sam, Death didn't just shove your soul back in. He put up the Great Wall of Sam between you and the things you don't remember. Trust me when I say the things you don't know could kill you. That's not a joke." He gave a firm look at Sam to make sure that he understood what was going on.

"And what about Angie?" Sam looked at Dean. That also had him puzzled. "She's out and she remembers everything. Are you saying that it's okay for me to have a wall and not her? What is Death's game here?"

That was the sticking point. Dean didn't get it either. "I know. Maybe it has to do with the fact she jumped in or he knows she remembered her last three times in hell. Maybe he thought she was strong enough."

Sam knew he had to cut Dean some slack on that. It still didn't make him happy. He didn't like that she was stuck with the possibility that she could not be okay. Hell she already wasn't given that she had been restless in her sleep on the way back. Her cat naps in the car were the only thing that were keeping her in some state of functioning. That was an issue for another time. He understood where his brother was coming from and he could allow that. "All right. But I have to make this right. Or what I can anyway."

"It wasn't you," Dean insisted.

Sam sighed at that. He knew Dean was trying to make it better as only as he could but he wasn't feeling better. He took a breath and said, "I feel like I got slipped the worst mickey of all time. And I woke up to find out that I had burnt the whole city down." He looked at Dean with a pensive gaze. "And you can say that it wasn't me… but I'm the one with the Zippo in my pocket. So I'm not sure it's that cut and dry."

Dean looked downward as he listened to what Sam was saying. This was the last thing he wanted for Sam. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth but deep down he knew that there was going to be some problems. They always came up and he knew Sam, the real Sam. His brother wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"Look, I appreciate you trying to protect me. I really do." Sam meant that. He would always be grateful to Dean for being there. His brother gave up a lot so he could do what he did. And he was still giving up a lot. "But I gotta fix this. So I need to know what I did."

"That could be dangerous," Dean pointed out. He had made it clear once and he was going to do so again.

"What would you do?"

Dean knew Sam had him on that one. It always was one of those weird and vicious circles they got themselves into. And one of those things that Angela constantly reminded him about. If he were in Sam's position he would do the same thing.

Sam knew what Dean was thinking and voiced it, "Right. Same thing."

Dean was torn in two with this. He had to give a last ditch effort and began to speak when Bobby and Haley walked up to them. From the looks of things it didn't look good and it was going to put the current conversation on the back burner.

"Boys, something I think you ought to see," Bobby said.

It was enough to find everyone in Bobby's study ten minutes later with the book that they brought back spread open. They all crowded around the desk and Bobby turned it so the boys could take a look. Angela was leaning over the side and giving a bland stare as she digested Bobby's explanation, "Now, as near as I can figure it, this dates back around the fourteenth century."

"Your neck of the wood right Angie?" Dean grinned as he glanced at Angela.

"I was born in the late 1400s, early 1500s, Dean," Angela replied. "I'm Renaissance."

Sam was peering at it, "What language?

"Da Vinci code," Bobby replied flatly. "Real obscure Latinate. Gonna take me my golden years to translate it all and that is with this idjit's help." He thumbed at Haley who merely gave him a playful slap on the shoulder.

"I'm from Africa," Haley pointed out though it was moot. She had helped a little. "Maybe ask the resident of the time period it was written."

"I told you," Angela replied, "That I'm not medieval. I'm Renaissance." She gave a dramatic sigh but was grinning since it was nothing more than teasing. "I warned you about assumptions."

"All right idjits," Bobby grouse to get them to stop arguing. He knew that it was all fun but this was serious. He turned to see Dean touch the pages and added, "Oh, and, uh, FYI… that ain't paper." He pointed at the book.

"What is it?" Dean looked at Bobby.

"It's human skin."

Sam paused as he turned the page. He sat back and looked at his hand and felt like he was going to gag a little. He glanced over at Dean and saw that the same expression was on his face. Angela merely said, "Thought so."

Bobby watched the reactions of all three of them. Haley had been more like it was shocking but then she got over it. Angela was more like it wasn't a big deal. He figured she would have figured it out beforehand and he was betting on her nose. She could tell the difference between human and monster so no brainwork there. He turned his attention back to the book and pointed at it, "Okay. I'm fairly clear on this first bit. It basically describes this place. It's like the backside of your worst nightmares. It's all blood and bone and darkness. Filled with the bodies and souls of all things hungry, sharp and nasty."

"Monsters?" Sam frowned at that.

"It's monsterland," Bobby tried to explain, "According to this, it goes by many names most of which I can't pronounce."

Angela was reading the text and muttering the words. The Latin wasn't an issue. It rolled off her tongue as she muttered in near whispers the words that Bobby couldn't pronounce. She frowned and looked at them and asked, "Purgatory?"

"I'm thinking that," Bobby answered, not at all surprised that she was reading the tome and probably better than he could or she was able to piece together what she could.

"Purgatory," Dean muttered. "Awesome. Well, that is, ahem, good to know." He reached across to grab the bottle of whiskey and pour himself another drink. He sat down on the couch. "So you're saying that these dragon freaks were squatting in the sewers and reading tone poems of purgatory?"

"Not exactly," Angela said. She was still reading the tome, her finger running along the words.

"What then?"

Bobby answered Sam's question, "They're reading an instruction manual."

Dean looked at Sam and then back at Bobby. "What?"

Bobby looked at Angela and asked, "Well do you want to show and tell or should I?"

Angela didn't look up as she answered, "Go ahead. You're better at it than me."

"Oh thank you," Bobby growled sarcastically but inwardly pleased that she was being herself. He explained, "If you're nuts enough to want to access a place that gnarly this book will show you how to open a door."

Dean took a moment to absorb that. "A door to purgatory." He took a sip. "I know a demon who would have loved to have known about that. So how do you open the door?"

Bobby flipped the last page and pointed, "Ask Cloverfield. I'm pretty sure he's got that page."

"A shame really," Angela replied as she fingered where it was torn. She stared at the book and pursed her lips.

"It gets worse," Bobby entered.

"Worse?" Sam straightened up to look at Bobby.

"This ain't talking about how to take a vacation down there," Bobby pointed at the damned thing as he crossed his arms on the desk. "This is all about opening a door to let something in."

Sam jerked at that. He tapped the desk with his fingertip and clarified, "Bring something here? What?"

Bobby gave a slight shake of his head, "I'm working on it."

"Mother," Angela said as she straightened up. "It says it a few times in her." She gestured at the book. "Mother of all."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean looked at Angela and Bobby.

"I don't know," Bobby offered.

Angela was quiet as it sunk in that they may be getting involved with something that was like Apocalypse big. She hadn't the faintest clue as to what that phrase meant but she did get a distinct chill down her spine every time the phrase was mentioned. Whatever it was, it was big and she got the feeling that it would take everything she got to figure it out and fight it.

* * *

"What did you do to my fucking sword?"

"Still ever the dirty mouth."

"I'll give you a dirty mouth, Fang Boy." Angela stared at the pleasant look that Christian was giving her on the screen as she conducted her video chat. "And I know a few places I can stuff it."

"Not with the babies within earshot and Kira would kill me."

"And I can do worse." Angela pursed her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. She gave the vampire a look that said she wasn't going to take any lip or any snarky comments he would normally give her.

The sigh was audible as Christian ran a hand through his dark locks. His blue grey eyes flickered slightly as he looked around trying to figure out what to say. Finally he said, "I had a feeling."

"A feeling?"

Christian looked at the look he was getting. He knew he really had to explain things and it was something that he didn't quite understand at the time either. He just did it and it worked out. He didn't foresee something like this. "Yeah," he replied, "A feeling."

"So… giving me a book about your family was more a feeling than something between friends?" Angela didn't meant to sound mean but she wanted some answers after finding out that they were stuck with the whole Mother of All thing.

Once things calmed down, she had taken out Absolution to get a good look and to try to remove the crest from it. She examined it and found that it had made itself a part of the blade. The dragon was attached to the guard and where the seal had been attached there was script writing that looked ancient. The hilt had taken on a gold polished look while the blade remained silver. In all it looked neat but it had Angela agitated since she didn't know what it would do to the soul blade.

She decided to call Christian since he was a Dragonov and he had been the one to give her the tome in the first place. Of course she just introduced herself like she usually did more to emphasize that she meant business. Now that she had him on the line, she was going to get answers and if she needed to do something, she would.

Christian saw the look of agitation on her face. He knew that expression well and replied, "You know it's not like that. I gave you my family history because I trusted you above all others. You know how secretive I am about my family. The crest… I always thought it was part of the book like a decoration. And the feeling I had, I thought it was right in giving it to you."

Angela calmed down a bit and managed to ask, "So you thought it right to give me information on your family's habit of hunting dragons?"

"Dragon's don't exist."

Angela snorted at that, "Yeah, they do. We tangled with three. I got one and Sam got another."

"So? Absolution kills just about anything."

Angela made a slight face feeling frustrated. "Chris, I pulled it out of my pocket where I put it for safe keeping after it popped off the cover, said some weird phrase and it stuck itself onto Absolution." She pulled up the sword so the vampire could take a look. "See?"

Christian could see it pretty well. He saw the level of detail and recognized the family dragon. He started reading the script on the hilt. His eyes widened at that. Was it really? So they weren't just stories? He let out, "Um…"

"You don't know do you?" Angela lowered the blade so she could see Christian on the screen. She was glad that she had decided to do this out in the shed. It would allow her to vent and to avoid questions she didn't quite have the answers to.

"Not the exact one but…" Christian cleared his throat and added, "I did remember learning that there was a code, a dragon hunter's code and that every member of the family who became one took it. It was a story but something along the lines of a code and that the hunters would be identified by their blades but that didn't hold true since there are dragon blood blades still out there. You handled St. George's blade for us."

"Tell me about it," Angela replied with a slight eye roll. "I told Sam and Dean about it while I was scolding Dean for ruining the one we borrowed from an SFU medieval professor. As usual they thought I was crazy."

"Well a lot of the things we came across were the types of things that could only be told in stories." Christian paused a bit and sighed, "I am sorry Angie. I didn't know that it was a dragon hunter's seal. I always thought it was the family crest. But…" He frowned.

"But what?" Angela looked at the screen and contemplated what expression was on the bookworm's face. "What does that bookworm brain of yours have?"

"You say the sweetest things. You must say really good stuff to Sam."

"Don't make me tell Kira about a little habit of yours," Angela replied with the threat hanging in the air. "She does come to me on all matters related to you since I did set you both up."

Christian growled a little at that. He didn't press further but was merely acknowledging what he had noticed. He wouldn't pick it up again unless it meant explaining it to outsiders. That was just good manners. He did reply, "You really aren't pulling punches with this are you?"

"Nope."

"At least you're still nice about a few things," Christian muttered. He reached over and picked up something and continued, "Anyway, about that seal. If it is a dragon hunter's seal, it shouldn't have gone to you since you are not a Dragonov. Not by a long shot."

"So that's bad."

"Not necessarily," Christian replied as he opened a book and flipped through a few pages. "If you are worried about Absolution, it won't hurt her." He found what he wanted and read, "Those marked by the seal have the authority to tame the beasts that breathe fire. Thus the power of the dragon is added to their own."

Angela stared at the screen and thought about it for a few moments. "So you're saying that Absolution accepted the seal and thus ended up with dragon abilities?"

"More or less. Dragon hunting has gone out of style with my family. Except for a few like those cousins once removed, they are all pretty much flowing with the times, primarily business." Christian gave a shrug. "I can look up more."

"That would help since…" Angela looked away and then back at the screen. "Chris… I don't know how to deal. I was gone for a year and a half and it felt like close to two centuries. I am trying to deal with being topside again and on top of that there is an issue with Sam and then this and the book we found mentions the Mother of All."

Christian listened to his old friend. He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on. It was like she got hit with the double whammy right out of the gate and was basically told to deal with it or sink. Life had never been fair to her and yet she was still helping people. He said, "I'll keep looking but in the meantime, I'd get used to Absolution being souped up. It may be what you need." He saw the look on her face and added, "I know."

"Not the half of it."

"Look, Angie. I'll keep looking into it. Maybe there is a way to undo it or maybe not. It's one of those things and to be honest… ever since that shockwave a year ago, things have been getting tense. The guard has been more alert and the Centurion have been working overtime."

"They could use the exercise."

It was an attempt at humor but Christian saw right through it. He replied, "I know it is not ideal but… I think there was a reason for this and they had it with Absolution in mind. How did the dragon react when you killed his comrade and with a blade that wasn't forged in dragon's blood?"

Angela thought about it for a moment and replied, "He looked… worried. He had been wary because of the other blade but when he looked at me, he looked scared." She frowned a little at that. She didn't mind scaring a few baddies along the way but she knew that look. This was something entirely different. "He then said something to me and then left. And that was it."

Christian listened to the explanation. Something was off about it but he had some ideas. Like his wife, he had been watching the signs that had been on and off over the past year while keeping tabs on the Winchesters. The results were… interesting but he needed to look into it more since it seemed that once again his friend was being pulled into something that would be cosmic or balance affecting. He asked, "You remember what he said?"

Angela gave him the information and Christian offered to get back to her on what he found. He also promised to look more into the whole thing with Absolution. He offered that maybe there was a secret to soul blades and weapons they didn't know about. Angela ended the call with a thanks, "Thanks for everything."

"Friends," Christian replied. He then offered, "You should come by. Kira would love to see you and you'd get a chance to see the twins."

"Maybe I will." Angela ended the called and stood back looking at the blank screen. She sighed as she picked up Absolution and looked at it again. She wasn't sure what was going on but it had her wary of the whole thing. She wasn't going to dismiss anything; something was going on and it targeted her specifically. She would just have to forge ahead and figure it out like always while trying to adjust being back. It was all anyone could do.

* * *

 **A/N:** Dean and Sam have a talk about the Great Wall of Sam Winchester and Bobby informs about Purgatory. Angie tries to understand why a dragon hunter seal attached itself to Absolution. What does it all mean? Find out down the road as we move to the next episode of Chronicles of Absolution: Sins of the Soul...


End file.
